Contrary to popular belief the threat of piracy has not gone away. It remains a malignant threat, evidenced by 95 incidents of pirate attacks or armed robbery in West Africa; 27 incidents of possible pirate activity in East Africa and 129 incidents of possible pirate attacks in Asia last year, according to Oceans Beyond Piracy’s latest annual report.
Preventive measures:
For Norden’s company security officer, Flemming Dahl Jensen, the Danish tanker operator’s current assessment of the piracy threat has not led to changes to the procedures already in place but the company is always “prepared to carry the necessary preventive measures into effect.”
Special forces to assess security onboard tankers:
A case in point has been the teaming up with Italian Special Forces to support their understanding of the conditions on board a merchant vessel in case a hijacking or terror situation should occur. A joint training session took place in the North Italian city Livorno and has been reported on in the latest edition of Norden’s corporate magazine, Norden News.
Training session for special forces:
The first part of the training session dealt with boarding Nord Gardenia using a ladder and getting familiarised with the vessel’s arrangement. The second part of the training session took place inside where the special forces were introduced to how a merchant vessel is manoeuvred and how to stop the main engine to immobilise the vessel. The rest of the training session on board was spent on searching for “hijackers/terrorists” as the special forces moved from cabin to cabin and from deck to deck.
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Source: DS Norden
