Maritime piracy not only leaves ships and sailors exposed to hijacking; it increases the cost of shipping and, in particular, has meant significant increases in sea vessel insurance. This month, a first-ever counter-piracy program designed for companies that work in the merchant marine environment is being given by the National Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (NMLEA) in conjunction with the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS). The course is not just an effort to meet growing international demands for standardized (and professionalized) counter-piracy teams worldwide. It also suggests the growing willingness of a once-reluctant maritime industry to engage private security companies when the latter closely adhere to "best practices" -especially when those focus on the effective integration of outside protection teams with vessel captains and crews.
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Interview with Pirate Alley author
Adm. Terry McKnight

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral (Ret.) Terence E. “Terry” Mc K n i g h t was the pioneering U.S. Commander of Task Force 151 off the coast of Somalia and is the author of the new book, Pirate Alley, published by the Naval Institute Press. Recently McKnight visited AdvanFort’s Washington, D.C. office to share what Advanfort company President Will Watson called his “vast and valuable expertise” on maritime security issues and the challenges posed by piracy as a transnational security threat in the Gulf of Aden and, increasingly, in other areas of the globe.
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There were 14 incidents reported worldwide this week with nine of the incidents reported late. Two incidents were reported in the Gulf of Aden and one in the Indian Ocean, however none were actual attacks and cannot be confirmed as related to Somali pirates. Threat level in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden remains moderate, however with the southwest monsoon season approaching, adverse weather conditions may start to have an impact on sea states.

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Commander Nicholas-Andrew Iliopoulos, Senior Business Development Manager for AdvanFort Company: "China Rules (... the waves)"

The release earlier this month of an official Chinese government report showing that the threats that country faces come mostly from the sea serves to underscore the importance of safeguarding national security through effective maritime security—including state-of-the-art counter-piracy efforts.

As Xinhua noted, in "China's Ocean Development Report (2013)" distributed by the China Institute for Marine Affairs under the State Oceanic Administration, the Asian giant's determination to "strengthen its capability to handle international maritime affairs over the next 20 years" remains—according to the report—based on maritime security policies that have not changed fundamentally.

The controversy in late April arising from the impounding by Spanish authorities of a seemingly fortress-like vessel owned by a former British navy officer offers a window into some of the continuing challenges faced by a world maritime shipping industry seeking to protect its crews, vessels and bottom lines.

The brouhaha in Tenerife took place after the former gunboat DEFENDER was stopped and repeatedly searched by unimpressed officials.

(For more on that story, see the Daily Mail, "'The cannons are just for show': Ex-Royal navy officer denies he was off to fight Somali pirates after his heavily-armoured boat was impounded in Spain, "http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2317088/Ex-Royal-navy-officer-heavily-armoured-boat-denies-fight-Somali-pirates.html).