With the global economies slowly but surely climbing out of recession, it’s the free movement of trade that will feed growth… and the security of that trade which will ensure sustainable growth.
The maritime industry (encompassing commercial shipping, offshore oil and gas and port facilities) is the crucial enabler of this economic recovery and continued globalisation.
However, in all but a few countries across the world navies are shrinking, in turn leaving critical expanses of open water and sea lines of communication inadequately policed and somewhat inviting as a ‘playground’ for the maritime criminals.
The rapid increase of piracy off the coast of East Africa, for example, has focused the media’s attention on just one small area of the rapidly-growing problem of maritime crime.
Maritime security: increasingly important
Maritime security is becoming increasingly important, and now is very much the time to establish a forum to manage maritime security alongside Governments and international bodies so that we can establish a structure to co-ordinate an effective security response at sea.
Over 90% of world trade is moved by sea, while the global shipping industry is the backbone of globalisation. Statistics1 vary, of course, but the volume of trade being plied across the oceans will inevitably increase as economies regain buoyancy.
It’s not only cargo-carrying ships that have seen an increase in numbers: the cruise industry fleet increased in size by 50% between 2006 and 2010.
In fact, there are now more than 500,000 passengers and crew embarked on cruise liners around the globe every day.
The world’s unquenchable thirst for oil and gas is pushing the offshore oil and gas industry into new and more technically challenging areas of exploration and extraction that often pose security risks.
Naturally, the security of this industry is critical to the developing world as a significant source of global energy.
Population growing, natural resources dwindling
The world’s population is growing inexorably2. At the same time, natural resources are becoming ever-more scarce and, in turn, the value of many ships’ cargoes is increasing.
By far the easiest place to steal a cargo is in the port of departure or arrival. Thus the protection of these ports from either land or sea incursion is becoming increasingly important.
The asymmetric threat of terrorism continues to challenge national security forces, and the maritime domain opens a new paradigm of possibilities. Terrorists are becoming more sophisticated. They can watch, wait and then identify the weaknesses of security measures discovered by criminals, and find ways to exploit any gaps in the armour.
The hijacking of the cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985 by the PLO, the suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Aden back in 2002 and the amphibious attack by a group of terrorists affiliated to Al-Qaeda in Mumbai (which took place in November 2008) all demonstrate that terrorism has significant maritime potential.
If vulnerabilities exposed by the common maritime criminal (such as pirates hijacking oil, gas and chemical tankers in the Indian Ocean) are not resolved, then we’re likely to see these ships being captured and used as part of the terrorists’ arsenal.
Unique demands placed upon security companies
Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia has understandably attracted considerable attention, and is prompting a new and fast-growing maritime security industry.
The maritime domain, however, presents unique demands on security companies working in this space that require special consideration.
For example, embarking a small team on a merchant vessel transiting the Northern Indian Ocean is very different to escort convoy protection in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Operating as a small independent team on a merchant ship with limited communications while isolated from external support and often with a multinational crew in a hostile region (where the adversaries seem to have the upper hand, most notably if the security team is unarmed) presents its own set of challenges.
Stress points felt by the new industry
The maritime security industry is immature, unregulated and growing very fast. The stress points of the new industry became all-too-apparent in early 2008 as the impact of piracy was beginning to pinch, and the demand for onboard security teams noticeably increased.
It was an open market where many prospective security entrepreneurs could see an opportunity to make easy money. Some thought it was ‘the new Iraq’ and the market became flooded with raw and inexperienced maritime security companies.
This presented two problems: first, the shipping industry was unable to discern which maritime security companies were good and which were not. A maritime security company’s reputation was built upon word of mouth recommendations between the clients and the standard of service received.
However, with pirates hijacking less than 1%, it was very difficult to measure the competence of the teams subjected to piracy.
This inconsistency was highlighted in November 2008 when the three-man security team embarked on the MV Biscaglia decided to jump overboard, leaving their ‘clients’ to undergo almost three months of captivity because pirates had managed to board the ship unhindered.
Tarred with the same brush
The second problem was that the well-established, reputable maritime security companies that had developed their client bases and businesses in a slower-evolving market were all being tarred with the same brush as that used to paint a picture of the ‘opportunist’ maritime security companies.
The shipping companies, charterers and insurance industry were therefore confused about which companies to use. The recession was biting, and the need to cut costs was critical to the survival of the maritime industry.
Consequently, the well-established maritime security companies were being undercut by less professional concerns run from mobile telephones and laptops in coffee shops with minimum overheads, and who were only out to exploit a short-term business opportunity.
It’s against this backdrop that we decided to establish the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI)3.
Development of a more comprehensive structure
The original idea was to formulate a directory of accredited maritime security companies that shipping concerns could consult before engaging a security sub-contractor. This original concept has developed, however, and we are now looking at a far more comprehensive structure.
The main purpose of SAMI is to represent the reputable maritime security companies comprising of the service providers (embarked security teams, independent maritime security consultants, maritime security training establishments and personnel agencies) and the equipment, technology and hardware providers.
SAMI will also represent (and look after) the interests of the individual maritime security operatives, providing them with guidance and advice on which firms are accredited and how best to plan a career within this new industry.
In addition, SAMI intends to provide a focal point for the maritime security industry. It will therefore represent its members in a wide range of forums including those involving international bodies and Governments (such as the International Maritime Organisation, international shipping associations, the offshore oil and gas industry, port authorities and the marine insurance and maritime legal bodies).
Services to be offered by the Association
We intend SAMI to develop such that it will eventually provide the following services:
Several forms of SAMI membership on offer
There will be several forms of membership for maritime security companies (including service providers, independent consultants, equipment, technology and hardware providers, training establishments and personnel agencies).
Individual maritime security operatives will have a separate membership structure, while associate members will include industries such as marine insurance and maritime legal services.
The cornerstone of SAMI is the ability to effectively vet maritime security companies and the operatives wishing to join SAMI, and then monitor compliance with SAMI standards.
SAMI will therefore have the power to expel maritime security companies and operatives who, after their initial invitation to join, fail to maintain the required standards.
The Association will be a non-profit-making association run for the membership by its members.
The current team consists of myself and Steven Jones (former navigation officer in the Merchant Navy) assisted by secretarial support.
Structure of the Executive Board
We are currently formulating the structure of the Executive Board to reflect the breadth and depth of SAMI as we go forward.
The principles of SAMI are simple: honesty, transparency and integrity. Our aim is to set clearly defined and achievable standards that will complement regulations already in place within the maritime industry so that proactive risk mitigation can facilitate the free movement of trade across the oceans of the globe.
We have already held a number of meetings with many of the maritime security companies, the insurance industry and Government bodies about our plans, and have enjoyed a supportive reception.
Peter Cook is a former Royal Marine officer and now an independent maritime security consultant
Cook was an officer in the Royal Marines for 24 years, and spent a significant part of his career involved in aspects of maritime security (from maritime counter-terrorism through to formulating counter-piracy policy and procedures).
On leaving the Corps, he managed the London office of a hedge fund company noted for establishing the first hedge fund in Dubai. Cook then moved into the security sector and, after a short period of time, into maritime security.
As well as being a founding member of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), Cook is also chairman of the Maritime Security Review (the first media platform to provide authoritative information across the spectrum of maritime security around the globe).
Cook has also written a number of articles and appeared on television commenting on maritime security issues, and has lectured on maritime security at Greenwich University.
Footnotes
1In the four decades between 1968-2008, the volume of trade moved by sea quadrupled. Despite the current recession, because shipping is the most cost-effective and carbon-friendly form of commercial transport, it’s very likely that a greater proportion of world trade will be carried by sea in the future.
2The world’s population will reach 7 billion in 2011 (National Geographic Magazine, January 2011)
3The SAMI logo is designed to be easily visible and distinguishable: the anchor symbolises the maritime industry, the key represents security and the circle signifies the globe… blue is the colour of the sea, and the gold stands for the standards SAMI strives to maintain
For further information access the Maritime Security Review website (a dedicated link is available on the right hand panel of this page)
