Attention returning combat and Special Forces personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan from Allied countries...

We welcome all combat personnel into our company for all assignments!!!

We have a security job for you as trainers, operational personnel
maritime security etc

Good Pay!!

please write to us.

Iraq and Libya

We are still inviting companies to invest in security.

Have us guard your oil installations in Iraq and Libya.
Iraq is having a total pullout of the US soon and oil companies are rushing in.
We are booking assignments through 2012.

The Curious Case of Inaction by the owners of MT Gemeni-- Glory Shipmanagement owned and managed

On 2nd May 2011 MT Gemeni was hijacked.

On the Monday after the hijack-- we appeared at the offices of Glory Shipmanagement-- owner and manager of this stiricken vessel to offer our expertise to resolve the case within 2 weeks in a ship storming.. at a cost slightly below the asked for ransom.

We were met by a hostile Malay manager who refused to identify himself or give us a card.

We met him again 2 days later to the same response at their offices in Temasek Towers in Singapore.

We told him that sooner or later the hull and crew would be separated and bargained for separately.

Read below-- we are not prophets-- we are security specialists and our words are true.

We do think the South Korean Government will ask Glory Shipmanagement to settle this ransom bill--- at 5 M USD per sailor.

We do think it was ignorant, for the Glory Shipmanagement not to be open to our security solution, and for the Malay man not to even bring us up to higher management.

Life to them is just very cheap-- while they sit in their air-conditioned offices comfortably to contemplate their next most profitable moves.

In all likelihood-- Glory Shipmanagement will abandon the South Korean sailors below. They do not have cash to foot the ransom bill.

The best outcome should have been to storm the ship and save all this renegotiation troubles.

~~~~

Somalia Report By MOHAMED BEERDHIGE, ANDREW MWANGURA
Pirates have released the Singapore-flagged MT Gemini and 21 crew members, although they have kept a hold of four South Korean seamen who were on the ship, pirates and maritime officials said Thursday.
The MT Gemini was taken on April 30, and pirates had initially demanded $5 million for its release. There was no information on the size of the ransom.
\"The Singaporean vessel has been released on Wednesday late after payment, but they kept the South Korean crew ... because they want six of their colleagues jailed in South Korea to be released,\" Mu\'min Ali, a Haradhere-based pirate, told Somalia Report. \"The ransom amount is not clear, as pirate groups don\'t like to reveal how much they got these days.\"
The vessel was left anchored at Hobyo, he said.
Nairobi-based diplomats said the vessel would shortly get underway, and that the four Koreans were taken to an unknown destination on shore.
The Singapore-based owner Glory Ship Management confirmed the release in a statement.
\"The pirates ... released 21 of the 25 crew on board but took four South Korean seamen, including the captain, ashore at the last moment despite earlier promises to release the entire all-man crew,\" Reuters news agency reported the company as saying. \"We are relieved that 21 of the crew have been released and are in good health. We will expedite their speedy return home. In the meantime we are expending all efforts to secure the release of the four South Koreans still held as hostage.\"
In July pirates threatened to kill the crew South Korean hostages.
The 25 crew was made up of 13 Indonesians, 5 Chinese, 3 Myanmar, and 4 South Koreans.

China-- accepting assignments and offers

As China opens up more and more nouveau riche are requiring Security Details to prevent Stalkers, harassers, paparazzis from coming too close.

We are now accepting Chinese applicants for close protection service training as well as clients to supply this service to.

Pricings for Hostage Rescue

5.5M USD per hostage rescued thereabouts. Depends on task difficulty and operating environment.
The earlier crisis is resolved, the cheaper things are.

5M USD per live perpertrator brought to trial and 2.5M USD per perpertrator eliminated as per hostage's testimony and/or photos/video.

What China says...

It is the lack of political willpower by even Western powers to lay down the law...


~~


http://chinadailyapac.com/article/terror-waters

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-09/28/content_13805956.htm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-11/18/content_14120257.htm

UK Okays use of armed guards against pirates. More teeth against piracy.

 

 

UK

 

 

Somali piracy: Armed guards to protect UK ships

 

It is up to the flag state of the vessel whether or not armed guards are allowed

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• UN sanctions anti-piracy guards
• The losing battle against Somali piracy
• Fighting off the Somali pirates

Ships sailing under a British flag will be able to carry armed guards to protect them from pirates, the prime minister has announced.

David Cameron says he wants to combat the risks to shipping off the coast of Somalia, where 49 of the world's 53 hijackings last year took place.
Under the plans, the home secretary would be given the power to license armed guards for ships.
No ship carrying armed security has yet been hijacked, the government claims.
Up to 200 vessels flying the red ensign - the British merchant navy flag - regularly sail close to Somalia. Officials estimate that about 100 of those would immediately apply for permission to have armed guards.
Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea every ship is subject to the jurisdiction of the country whose flag it carries.
It is thought many British-registered ships already carry armed guards because they feel they have no alternative.
However, licensing ships to carry armed guards could still fall foul of laws in other countries. Egypt recently announced that armed guards would not be permitted on ships sailing through the Suez canal.
Shoot to kill?

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Gordon Corera Security correspondent, BBC News

---

Until now, vessels flying the British flag have not been licensed to carry their own weapons on board, something other countries have permitted.
Pirates operating out of Somalia now range over around three million square miles of sea leaving existing navy patrols stretched.
The hope will be that armed patrols act as a deterrent, but there are risks.
Some experts warn of the danger of an escalation in the violence with pirates responding with heavier weapons.
The practicalities can also be complex - some countries are less willing than others to have foreign nationals working for private security companies carrying weapons in their ports or while sailing in their waters.
And while maritime and security industry experts believe this measure may help, it is unlikely to deal with the fundamental causes of the piracy problem - that will require more effective governance and stability in Somalia.

Mr Cameron said he wanted to legalise armed guards after talks in Australia with Commonwealth leaders from the region over the escalating problem faced in waters off their shores.

But armed guards would only be permitted while passing through dangerous waters, such as the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Previous government policy had strongly discouraged the use of private armed guards on board UK vessels.
But ministers began to consider amending the position to combat piracy in "exceptional circumstances", Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham said in a submission to the Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year.
The Home Office looked at how to apply UK firearms legislation on board UK ships, and whether it was feasible to authorise and monitor the possession of "prohibited" firearms at sea, he said.
Mr Cameron was asked if he was comfortable with giving private security operatives the right to "shoot to kill" if necessary, and told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "We have to make choices.

Continue reading the main story

Opposing views

Commentators debate the use of armed guards on ships.
Rose George says in the Guardian that there is currently no deterrent to pirates and every seafarer she has met wants to sail with armed security aboard.
But Brigadier Paul Gibson argues in the Times that the Royal Marines should have been given the task of arming ships as shipowners would have been confident of their legality.

"Frankly, the extent of the hijack and ransom of ships round the Horn of Africa is a complete stain on our world.

"The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are managing to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system is a complete insult and the rest of the world needs to come together with much more vigour."
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents over 80% of the world's merchant fleet, welcomed the move as likely to have a deterrent effect - but said it was only a "short-term measure".
'Dreadful impact' Secretary general Peter Hinchliffe said the ICS was concerned about how pirates would respond to the move.
"To date, no ships with armed guards on board have been captured. But pirates will respond with increased firepower to overwhelm the armed guards, and when that happens the impact on the crew will be pretty dreadful," he told Reuters.
Peter Cook, director of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (Sami), welcomed the policy change, but Commodore Angus Menzies, from the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, said it would "shift the problem elsewhere".

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David Cameron: ''I want to make sure more of these pirates actually face justice''

Mr Cook said many armed guards were former Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel, and he added: "With the current redundancies it has provided them with an ideal place to go."
Transport Secretary Justine Greening said it was "sensible" for ships to be able to take "appropriate measures to protect their crew and cargo".
Shadow Foreign Office Minister, John Spellar, welcomed the move but said more details were needed from the government about how it would be implemented.
High velocity rifles Sami director Mr Cook said most armed guards would be using high velocity rifles, which were used to "deter pirates" from attempting to board a ship.

Use of armed guards would be restricted to voyages through particular waters in affected areas

He confirmed that no vessel with armed guards had been taken over by pirates, and said in several cases guards had fired shots at pirates.
The general secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation, David Cockroft, told the BBC: "This is a reassuring move for the seafarers, but the worry is that in the past we've seen the pirates respond to each new defensive measure by choosing heavier weapons and more savagery.
"There is no substitute for all the big shipping flags taking the fight to the pirates themselves, with action against their bases, arrests and jailings."
"So far some of the biggest registers, all flags of convenience, are leaving it all to Nato, EU Navfor, combined forces and a few independent deployments."
Maritime risk consultants Haymarket said the introduction of armed guards would save the British shipping and insurance industries millions of pounds.
John Bisseru, a maritime risk specialist at the firm, said: "Prevention is the way forward, and qualified and trained armed guards will be significant step."
France and Spain provide so-called military vessel protection detachments, while Italy is planning a similar measure.
In July, the Foreign Office Minister Mr Bellingham said limited military resources meant it was not possible to free up Royal Marines for a ship protection role.
Other counter-piracy measures being taken include offering support from Treasury officials to Kenya to help its officials track down pirates' assets.
Mr Cameron also said help could be given to countries such as the Seychelles and Mauritius who were acting to bring pirates to court and imprison them.

Piracy-- shipowners, ship managers and pirates-- you were all warned! ;)

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

is now promoting use of armed guards on vessels...

when private security for maritime usage has always existed...

United States Promotes the Use of Armed Anti-Piracy Contractors on Ships

Sec of State Hillary Clinton Orders Embassies to Sell the Use of Contractors

By Robert Young Pelton, SomaliaReport.com

Somalia Report has obtained an unclassified document from the U.S. State Department that orders American embassy staff to promote the use of armed security guards on commercial vessels around the coast of Somalia.
The five page document is a “demarche” request which encourages “the use of privately contracted armed security personnel on merchant vessels to deter or prevent pirating off the Horn of Africa.” What is more surprising is that this October 27, 2011 memo is straight from the desk of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
It is a stunning reversal of opinion for Clinton, a well known opponent of the use of private security companies and a political appointee who has openly discussed taking steps to eliminate them. As a presidential candidate running against President Obama she sponsored legislation entitled H.R.4102 “Stop Outsourcing Security Act”. The suggested legislation was created in November of 2007 proposed banning the use of security contractors.

“The United States is increasingly relying on private security contractors to perform mission critical and emergency essential functions that historically have been performed by United States military or government personnel.”

The bill went on to present the idea that the use of contractors was undermining the US mission in Iraq. It even went so far as to set a six month deadline to remove the private security who protected State Department personnel in Iraq, then provided by a half dozen companies that included Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and others under the WWPS contract and replace them with federal employees.
The legislation failed for the simple reason that there simply weren’t enough troops or government employees to replace them.
Since then Clinton found herself actually working and traveling while being protected by those same security contractors. Although she has never publicly stated her support for the use of contractors (often called ‘mercenaries’ by the media) there were moves to dramatically increasethe number and scope of private security to protect State Department staff in Iraq under her watch.
So with her on the record disdain for armed private security it is surprising to see Secretary of State Clinton suddenly become an advocate for the industry.
Consider this statement made by then New York Senator Hillary Clinton running for president in February 2008:

“From this war’s very beginning, this administration has permitted thousands of heavily-armed military contractors to march through Iraq without any law or court to rein them in or hold them accountable. These private security contractors have been reckless and have compromised our mission in Iraq. The time to show these contractors the door is long past due. We need to stop filling the coffers of contractors in Iraq, and make sure that armed personnel in Iraq are fully accountable to the U.S. government and follow the chain of command.”

Now fast forward to October 2011:

“Drawing on talking points in paragraph 9, Post is requested to demarche host governments and/or members of host country’s shipping industry to encourage the responsible use of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP) on merchant vessels transiting high-risk waters off the Horn of Africa, in addition to other counter-piracy measures.”

Clinton specifically requests diplomats to promote the use of PCASP on “merchant vessels transiting the high-risk waters off the Horn of Africa, in addition to other counter-piracy measures.” The “Sensitive” document goes on to present the ‘no ship taken while under armed guard’ mantra to overcome the shipping industries lack of enthusiasm for armed men on board. The document then provides a series of talking points to convince nations to support the use of private security guards on board ships and offers to work with these nations to work through the various ITAR restrictions related to weapons on board.
Somalia Report is neither a proponent or opponent on the use of armed guards aboard ships because the industry generally does not want to have lethal force on board, but a quick glance of our list of October pirate attacks and how they were deterred tell a tale that cannot be ignored.
Reprinted With Permission, (c) 2011 SomaliaReport.com

Some blistering truths about maritime security and piracy -- some shipowners don't really care

http://www.unidir.org/pdf/articles/pdf-art2960.pdf

Full Time Security Team for VIP forming for European position

a full time security team is being formed now for 24/7 security protective detail for a VIP estate.

English and Germany speaking former Special Forces members will have priority.

NGOs operating in Dark Africa and Middle East take note... danger zone.

NGOs operating in Dark Africa and Middle East take note... danger zone. You risk kidnap and various security risks-- IEDs etc

While delivering aid or performing various NGO duties-- note that hostile parties-- such as in Somalia will oppose whatever goodwill services you will seek to offer to further disrupt infrastructure. Security is paramount. Western aid workers are generally worth more than any other type of aidworker.

NGOs-- you need another acronym-- you need a PSD-- Personnel Security Detail
supplied by us. PSD supply more than just security-- they supply expertise to plan how to distribute aid,
plan convoy routes, advise on rebel occupied areas to avoid, and provide on the ground intelligence not available in news reports. Avoid turning an aid providing mission into a hostage rescue mission for your staff and executives. PSDs-- overt ones-- add a layer of show of force to deter armed aggression and make your opponents think twice about disrupting UN sanctioned missions.

See here.

http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1865/3_Aid_Workers_Kidnapped_in_Galkayo


and the NYTIMES articles here for a tutorial on AL-Shahab which has conducted several kidnaps. They aim to raise their profile though this form of blood advertising.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/al-shabab/index.html

The Somalis Score yet another goal-- Somali pirates hijack Greek-owned chemical tanker NB the security consultant on board

Stay with a trusted security company
~~

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates have hijacked a Greek-owned chemical tanker with 22 people on board in the Gulf of Aden and are taking the vessel towards the Somali coast, a regional maritime expert and a pirate said on Tuesday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Liquid Velvet was seized on Monday in the Gulf of Aden en route to India. The 11,599 DWT vessel is owned by the Greek firm Elmira Tankers, according to the firm's website.

"It was taken yesterday. It was going from Suez and heading to India," maritime editor Andrew Mwangura said.

Increasingly well-armed and violent Somali pirate gangs are expected to carry out more attacks as the monsoon season ends and the seas off the Horn of Africa flatten.

A pirate who gave his name as Khalif confirmed the attack.

"We have hijacked the tanker and it is due to anchor near the shores of Garad," Khalif told Reuters by telephone from the pirate haven of Dhanane.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean costs the world economy billions of dollars a year. British Prime Minister David Cameron has said British merchant ships off the coast of Somalia will soon be allowed to carry armed guards.

Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacked ships, including oil tankers.

KSK-- KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command, KSK or Kampfschwimmer ("Combat Swimmers") or Verwendungsgruppe 3402 (Usage Group 3402)

We are actively seeking former SF personnel from Germany who have served in these units for private security Special Forces operations.

Maritime Piracy from an experienced perspective and pirate infested areas.

We reproduce an article by Capt Fredrik C Jonsson here on maritime counter-terrorism and piracy threats.
Note tactics and disposition of pirates.


Click here for a the article.

Citadels NOT a cure for piracy prevention....

fom SomaliaReport.com

No Room for Complacency

Citadels Must Be Appropriately Set Up to Work

By GLEN FORBES 10/12/2011

Glen Forbes is a former Royal Naval officer who runs our partner organization OCEANUSLive.org, a website aimed at promoting better communication between maritime vessels in dangerous environments.

MV Montecristo

Safe rooms, safety zones, safe muster points or citadels; whatever the viewpoint, they are becoming the de facto reaction to pirate attacks off Somalia in East Africa and the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa.

Military authorities and shipping associations have resolutely stated that citadels - let’s stick with that moniker - “should be complimentary to, rather than a replacement for, all other Ship Protection Measures set out in the eponymous Best Management Practice (version 4), BMP4” booklet.

The recent successes in the use of citadels have only gone to further endorse their reputation. Italian vessel, MV Montecristo, almost hijacked by Somali pirates, which was then rescued by UK and US Special Forces under NATO command, is one such good example. The other noteworthy case is the Norwegian product tanker, Northern Bell, which was boarded off Cotonou in Benin. The crew locked themselves in the engine room and contacted the Company Security Officer. The pirates left the ship and the crew were able to regain control the following day.

MV Arrilah I was boarded by 10 pirates earlier this year. The crew had withdrawn to the safe room. One crew member was slightly injured when a grenade was thrown down the funnel, which was connected to the safe room; smoke was used but the crew had breathing apparatus. They were able to control the ship from the safe room and continued to navigate the ship towards UAE waters with a coalition aircraft guiding them from nearby. What followed was a 30-hour siege until UAE and US forces stormed the ship on Saturday, April 2.

Hurrah! However, there are cases to demonstrate that successful employment of a citadel is not guaranteed. Returning to BMP4, a key point to bear in mind, even having applied the criterion stated is that, “the use of a citadel cannot guarantee a naval/military response.”

Cases in point – the Beluga Nomination was attacked in January this year approximately 390nm North of the Seychelles. The German owners described attempts to rescue the crew as a "disaster".

"The crew spent two and a half days in a reinforced room but nobody came to help them," they said.

Pirates had the time to break into the citadel, which called into question its positioning, but more importantly, whether the enforcement of the area was adequately prepared in light of the distance from any naval force.

Somali pirates hit the 22,600-dwt Pacific Express on September 20, and it was feared the ship had been taken. The crew had retreated to the citadel and were later rescued by an Italian warship. The vessel was abandoned approximately 87nm southeast of the hijack attempt location. In frustration at not getting their prey, the pirates set fire to the ship. The vessel was eventually towed into Mombasa, and the damage clearly

demonstrates the danger to the crew’s safety if rescue was not at hand.

There you have it; citadels in a nut ‘shell’ are good if they are appropriately prepared, fitted out with communications and sufficient provisions for a engthy stay. They are bad if they are not appropriately prepared, sighted and provisioned, and can become a tomb for the frightened crew. More mportantly, and following a combination of circumstances which are entirely possible, if a naval unit is unable to reach the target vessel in good

time (suggest 2 days maximum), and the pirates have access to flammable materials, be it already on board as they have freedom of the remainder of the ship, or they decide to utilize the fuel they carry on skiffs and

NATO/OTAN

motherships, then the fate of the crew does not bear thinking about.

Following recent comments that naval assets are likely to become more scarce in the region as austerity policies and other commitments take hold in 2012, the ‘go to’ response of citadels will become another aspect that the seafaring community will have to re-evaluate. There is no room for complacency.

Pacific Express on fire OCEANUSLive gave fair warning of the possibility as long ago as November 2010.

Assignments in Colombia and how to contact us

"Colombia is the kidnap capital of the world, a country in the grip of a civil war and
savaged by feuding drug gangs." says the Daily Mail of the UK


We are also offering PSD or Protective Security Details for Argentina and Colombia...

Also offered are estate hardening and security

contact us at

StormoRochalie (at) Gmail.com

kidnapping of American in Somalia-- where was the Protective Security Detail

PSDs are important. More so in lawless Somalia where one cannot trust

• the Federal Government
• Pirates
• Rebel Fighters
• Just about anybody, with or without a gun

The Somali pirates have scored another goal by kidnapping what must be the Western hemisphere's biggest prizes-- an American. We estimate the kidnappers will ask for about 5M USD and above.
NGOs as well as non-NGOs who are in Somalia without supplying some sort of security details to their staff and management in addition to their convoys are simply irresponsible and naive.

The American in this case was identified as
Jessica Buchanan of Rosslyn Virginia, USA

We do hostage rescues in Africa.
Call on us.

~~~

State Department Confirms Kidnapping of U.S. Citizen in Somalia

Published October 26, 2011

| FoxNews.com

•  

• 
  AP
  African Union peacekeepers are seen in the Deynile district of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011.

A U.S. citizen has been kidnapped in northern Somalia, the U.S. State Department confirmed Wednesday. 

"We remain concerned about the individual's safety and well-being. We are working with contacts in Kenya and Somalia to ascertain further information and have been in contact with the individual's family to provide appropriate consular assistance. The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind, and we call for the immediate release of all of the victims involved. Due to the privacy laws, we have no further information at this time," the department said in a statement. 

Gunmen have abducted a 32-year-old female American aid worker in northern Somalia along with a Danish and a Somali colleague as their convoy headed to the airport. The kidnappings come only weeks after four Europeans were seized by suspected Somali gunmen in neighboring Kenya.

A self-proclaimed Somali pirate said that pirates had captured the three on Tuesday. The captors would not harm the three but will want a ransom for their release, he said. The claim could not be independently verified.

The three employees work for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East.

"As a first priority, we have been concentrating on the ongoing investigations. We are keeping close contact with the family members, who are deeply concerned, just as we are," said Ann Mary Olsen, head of the Danish Refugee Council's international department.

Activities of the Danish Refugee Council, which runs the Danish Demining Group, have been suspended in the area. The group provided no other details and asked media outlets "to respect the need for confidentiality as investigations are ongoing."

A Nairobi-based security official said the demining group was traveling in a three-car convoy, including one vehicle of armed guards, but that the guards did not resist the kidnapping.

The three are believed to be on their way to a former pirate stronghold on the Somali coast, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Ahmed Mohamed, a police officer in the Somali town of Galkayo, said the aid workers had been heading to the airport when they crossed into a southern section of the city that is under clan control. The northern section of Galkayo is under the control of the semiautonomous region of Puntland.

Two Nairobi-based officials said the American woman is 32 and the Danish man is 60. The woman is a former school teacher, one official said.

Bile Hussein, the self-proclaimed pirate, said the three were abducted with the help of "insiders." Hussein has provided reliable information about pirate activities in Somalia to The Associated Press in the past. He said that capturing ships off East Africa is becoming harder -- ships are using stronger self-defense measures -- so pirates are looking for other ways to earn ransoms.

"They are now on the way to Gan town, and we shall treat them humanely and kindly. Our aim is all about a ransom, not harming them," Hussein said.

Christian Friis Bach, Denmark's minister for development cooperation, told Danish broadcaster DR that the demining group was working to help Somalis.

"That's why it's both sad and tragic that they have been struck by this kidnapping, and I hope their strong network and a collected effort also by the Foreign Ministry can resolve the situation quickly.," he said.

The kidnapping comes only weeks after the seizure of two women working for Doctors Without Borders from a refugee camp in neighboring Kenya, as well as the kidnappings of two European tourists from Kenya's coast -- one of whom later died. Somali gunmen were suspected in those attacks.

Kenya has sent at least 1,600 forces into southern Somalia to attack Al Qaeda-linked militants in response to those kidnappings, though it's not clear whether the al-Shabab fighters were responsible for the abductions.

The northern semiautonomous province of Puntland is generally considered more stable than most of the rest of Somalia, which is riven between pirate gangs, Islamist insurgents and militias and the weak U.N.-backed government in the capital. It has not had a functioning central government for the last 20 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/26/state-department-confirms-kidnapping-us-citizen-in-somalia/?test=latestnews#ixzz1bxgE1fzS

SuperMax Tanker attacked... Pirates Getting More "Sophisticated"-- likely source of sophistication is increased ransoms

The Somalia Report article at

http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1101
says there is a possibility that the pirates are using night vision equipment in their attack on the tanker Brilliante Virtuoso-- these -- the older generation ones, can be bought over the internet.

The attack did not end up in a capture of the ship as the pirates hoped-- but it sure achieved the effect of setting the tanker on fire and a possibility of an ecological diasaster, which was avoided

It is not that the tanker was attacked with RPGs that alarms shipowners most. It is the fact that armed security was not posted. Armed security backed up by night vision scopes who will fire warning shots when suspicious boats come into the 300-400 metre range. It is recommended that security team be backed up by an infra-red (IR) system to cover any and all blindspots. We recommend IR systems from Zeiss Optronics. These systems are all weather, can track a moving target and have a high degree of resolution.

The installation of hard and soft security measures could have saved the tanker mentioned here a lot of grief and insurance premiums.

again-- if any tanker owner or ship manager wants to avoid trouble to their shipfarers, call us
stormorochalie (at) gmail.com

We would be more than pleased to hear from you.




~~~


~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE: Oil Tanker Fire Off Yemen Extinguished After Attack

By gCaptain Staff On July 7, 2011

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Image by Dmitrios
LONDON (Dow Jones)–A fire that broke out on an oil tanker after a pirate attack off the Yemeni coast has now been extinguished, an official at the company managing the ship said Wednesday.
Though a large-scale oil disaster appears to have been avoided, news of the fire on the 1 million barrels tanker will revive security fears on a shipping route that has suffered increasingly bold attacks from Somali pirates.
The fire “was extinguished,” said Andreas Louka, a legal adviser at Athens’ Central Mare Inc., the company managing the Brillante Virtuoso tanker.
Asked if the tanker, which was on its way from Ukraine to China, could still deliver its cargo, Louka said “they are going to assess” the damage first.
“The crew is safe, the vessel is safe. There is no pollution,” the official has previously said.

-By Benoit Faucon, Dow Jones Newswires

Mexico

We have had a lot of requests for Mexico City protective details so we are offering them.
Hiring us as foreign professionals is a bonus... we can assure clients that we are not as corrupt as the many Government officials and even Army and Police in Mexico are.

We will protect you from druglords, illegal checkpoints, advise on the best travel routes, and get you anywhere in Mexico as safely as possible and as quiet as possible without undue attention to you so you can go about your business with ease.

We will work with legit businessmen, politicians, and Government officials to provide for professional and discreet protective armed security details to provide for security convoys and even air security to hop from one point of the city to another by helicopter.

Read below for how dangerous Mexico is and can be. The Worst is not over yet.

~~~

Monday, 01 August 2011 10:52

Mexico Murder Reports Reveal Sharp Rise in Killings

Written by  Patrick Corcoran

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According to one newspaper account, Mexico is on pace to surpass last year’s record-breaking tally of murders, though the regional distribution of bloodshed is shifting significantly.

As the Trans-Border Institute reports, Reforma, one of Mexico City’s most prominent daily newspapers, counted 7,443 organized crime-related murders between January 1 and July 25, a 20 percent rise from the same period last year.
The federal government hasn’t released its totals for this year, but the number of organized-crime related murders reported by the authorities has for the last couple of years been significantly higher than most media counts. For example, Reforma counted 11,583 in 2010, while the government later said there had been 15,273.
The Trans-Border report implies that the pattern of divergence between the two scores will repeat itself. Looking at last year's figures, this could mean that the government would count more than 20,000 drug killings in 2011 -- an extremely high number. However, the difference between the media and government figures has never been properly explained, so there is no real reason to assume that it will continue; the two counts may simply end up closer together in 2011, for any number of possible reasons.
A more nefarious possibility is that the government might intentionally massage the numbers downward. Organized crime is a vague designation, and the line between this and street delinquency is not always clear. A government intent on demonstrating that violence has plateaued could adopt a stricter definition for organized crime-related killing, and therefore point to a drop in drug violence.
Beyond the numbers themselves, the distribution of the killings is also striking. As Trans-Border stated (and as InSight Crime has noted in the past), the level of violence in Juarez has dropped off substantially in 2011: while 350 people were killed in October 2010, the figure dropped to a two-year low of 150 in May. (The figures have since rebounded, though with 216 murders in July, Juarez is still far less violent today than last year.)
But despite the substantial drop in killings in the city, sometimes referred to as the most dangerous on earth, violence in Mexico as a whole appears to be on the upswing. In particular, the murder rates have spiked in Guerrero, the southern Pacific state where a number of different gangs are gunning for control; Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, where the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel have been engaged in a battle for territory since early 2010; and Durango, where internecine battles among different Sinaloa Cartel factions are thought to be behind the discovery of hundreds of bodies in clandestine graves around the state capital.
Such increases count against the government’s assertion that the violence is strictly limited to a few geographic regions.
The Trans-Border report comes days after a report from INEGI, Mexico’s governmental statistical agency, which put the final total of all murders in Mexico in 2010 at 24,374. This represents a nearly 25 percent jump from 2009, in which 19,803 people were murdered across the country, including in killings unrelated to organized crime.
This continues a worrying trend past several years; after a low of 8,867 homicides in 2007, the number of murders has nearly tripled. The increase in violence related to organized crime is the biggest reason for the rise in overall murders -- according to the government data, the number of murders not related to organized crime actually declined in 2010 by roughly 1,000.
The increase in violence, while more severe in some regions than others, is widespread, further undermining the government’s argument that the drug violent is concentrated in a handful of hotspots. According to INEGI, only three of the country's 31 states witnessed a decline in the murder rate from 2005 through 2010.

Tagged under

• Drug Trafficking
• Mexico
• Zetas
• Sinaloa Cartel

Protective Security Assignments in Colombia and how to contact us

Colombia Factfile: Kidnap capital of the world - Telegraph

" Colombia's notorious kidnap trade is second only in profitability to drug trafficking, with over 3000 people snatched a year." BBC online...
We also offer protective security details in Colombia.

for all our protective and training services on this blog

please email us at the following

StormoRochalie (at) Gmail.com

Congratulations to the Libyans and Libya... post war private security for Government organizations, corporations and private citizens

Today we congratulate the Libyans on the beginning of a new Era.

US President Barack Obama told the Libyan people: "You have won your revolution."

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/pulled-from-drain-pipe-gaddafi-was-shown-no-mercy-142966&cp

The Libyan murderer Gaddafi is now dead and many tasks remain at hand...
rebuilding of infrastructure and rooting out of the remaining rebel fighters to ensure security.

We at Stormo Rochalie can provide security in the highly ambiguous situation with our high risk security squadrons. With the war 'still in progress' and with massive reconstruction programs in the making, even delivery of cargo to any Libyan port and from port to final destination on land (to a warehouse or factory) is not an easy task... there are armed gangs whose loyalties are not known and even if they are, its far better trusting security that you have purchased from us to deter any armed aggression including bomb and contraband sniffing K-9 dogs. You can trust us with a convoy security squadron.

Oil infrastructure and executives working or starting some kind of venture in Libya are especially vulnerable and need door to door security. Even for ships at sea exiting or entering African ports of call... all seas in Eastern and West African coasts are teeming with piracy.

We are actively advising several US Allied Middle Eastern corporations and governments on security issues now.

We not only offer security services, but training, aviation, intelligence and logistical support. Turnkey security for peace of mind. Right now in many areas undergoing reconstruction-- sometimes the only way is to travel, even if the distance is 20 KM-- by helicopter from building to building. This we can supply.

Any and all of the Middle Eastern governments who have experienced the Arab Spring are welcome to hire us for our expert security and stability maintainence services to better build a democratic society based on peace, justice and equalty to achieve prosperity and progress for their respective nations.
Feel free to email us for a quote or request for additional security services we can provide.

Kidnap risks in African resorts... hire armed security while holidaying please.

1 October 2011 Last updated at 20:05 GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

French woman kidnapped in Kenya resort

A French woman has been kidnapped by an armed gang on Kenya's northern resort island of Manda and taken to Somalia, Kenyan officials say.

The disabled woman, 66, was attacked at her bungalow at Ras Kitau. Kenya's government said it believed the abductors were al-Shabab militants.
A Kenyan statement said some abductors were injured in a shootout with two Kenyan ships trying to stop them.
The kidnap comes three weeks after a UK couple were attacked further north.
Gunmen shot dead husband David Tebbutt and kidnapped his wife Judith in Kiwayu. She was taken across the border to Somalia.
'Hugely damaging'
The gunmen struck at Ras Kitau at 03:30 (00:30 GMT) on Saturday.
"An elderly, disabled French lady who has been living

Abu Chiaba, a local legislator, said the gang had come into Manda by boat in the middle of the night.

"The elderly French woman is well known in the area, she comes to Manda regularly," Mr Chiaba said.
Witnesses say they heard at least two gunshots before the woman was taken away by the attackers.
"We were all startled awake because there were gunshots," said Jeremiah Kiptoon, who works on Manda island.
"The dogs were barking and people were screaming... I ran to the place to see what was happening but by the time I got there, the lady was gone."
Two coastguard vessels and a police helicopter chased the abductors, and were involved in an exchange of fire, Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said in a statement.
He said several of the abductors were injured but they still managed to enter Somali territory in a motor boat.
The government said "every effort" was being made to rescue the woman.
Kenya's Tourism Minister Najib Balala called for international assistance to help them in their efforts to secure the border with Somalia.

"The core problem is Somalia and the core problem is criminal elements who manage to sneak into the country," he told the BBC.
"Whatever we're going to do, if we don't have the support of the international community to address the Somali issue then it is very challenging to manage to man the border in Somalia."
France has warned French visitors to avoid the area.

"It is advised against staying on the Lamu archipelago and its region near the Somali border," the French foreign ministry said on its website.
The attack happened just across a lagoon from Shela - an exclusive resort on Lamu island.
This attack has the potential to do severe damage to Kenya's tourism industry, the BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi says.

Side Show II of our Gear for Security protection details

German gear really preferred by us for maritime protection...


Carl Walther and Heckler and Koch protection weapons for security details.

Commander's Training

We realize there is a need for the following programs and they will be customized to your organization's Special Forces or Security Detail requirements

1. Train the Trainer
2. Squad Commander
3. Mission Commander
4. Senior Officer

Analysis of the MV Fairchem Bogey hijack and solutions to avoid a repeat. Troubling Questions to be answered.

1. Why was maritime security team dropped off in an area frequented by pirates though the ship was anchored in port? Was this done to save money on a longer security detail?
2. Why was there no infra red security camera system for a 360 degree view of the ship?
3. Why was there no physical security hardening? Barbed wire surrounding all railings on the deck, men posted to get hot water fire hoses to flush the pirates back into the sea would have helped.
4. Even a bullhorn or Public Address System could have helped to bluff the pirates a warning that they would be met with a hail of bullets if they penetrated the 300 metre radius safety zone. 300 metres is chosen as this is the max effective range of an RPG. Even passive systems such as very visible fake warning signs posted in Arabic/Somali and English could have warned the pirates that an armed team is on board... please stay away.
5. Lastly Why were CAPTAIN and CREW not posted on a 360 degree watch to watch for incoming pirate skiffs? Were they even trained to hide in the Citadel and were measures and training in place for a total shutdown of engine and power of the entire ship to deter pirates?

A side show of our gear

and the elite jet provider that we advise our clients to use

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www.celebrityjet.com/

New courses for Military, Private Securty Corps and Government only

• Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) Awareness Training and
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRE) facilities protection using armed teams training.

and

More on the Cape Bird...

20 man crew on hijacked vessel off Nigeria: firm

Twenty eastern European sailors are on board an oil tanker hijacked by pirates off the Nigerian coast, the German shipping company that employs them said on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Columbia Ship Management, based in the northern German city of Hamburg, told AFP there were "20 members of the crew, who come from eastern Europe."
"We have been in contact with the vessel," added the spokesman who did not wish to be named. He was unable to say if the pirates had made any demands or whether the crew was in good health.
Pirates boarded the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Cape Bird on Saturday, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
The attack took place around 90 nautical miles south of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital, according to a report on the IMB website.
A spokesman for the Nigerian navy said that the tanker was carrying 30,000 tonnes of fuel.
The Moscow-based Seafarers Union of Russia, citing a "reliable source," said the crew includes three Russians from the Black Sea city of Novorossiisk as well as nationals of Georgia, Ukraine and the Baltic nation of Latvia.
"The shipping company has already informed the seamen's families about the incident," it said, adding, "Talks on the terms of release of the ship and crew members have already begun."
Citing data from October 11, Russia's prominent maritime expert Mikhail Voitenko said separately that "the crew of 20 people has not been hurt."
The coast of Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer, is a dangerous place to sail, with pirates hijacking ships, mostly loaded with crude, from the oil-rich Niger Delta, for sale on the region's lucrative black market.
On October 2, pirates armed with automatic weapons fired upon and boarded a chemical tanker off neighbouring Benin before stealing cash, the latest in a wave of such attacks off west Africa, IMB said.
The coast of Benin has seen some 20 piracy incidents this year compared with none last year. Piracy has long been a problem off Nigeria.
Benin and Nigeria launched joint sea patrols last month to tackle the surge in piracy that has raised alarm in the shipping industry, with attacks seeing crews held hostage and fuel stolen.
burs-fc-as/ric/mb

West Meets West-- West Coast of Africa now a Pirates Haven. We can protect you!

Owner: 20 sailors on tanker seized off Nigeria

by YINKA IBUKUN Associated Press

Updated 10:36 PM Oct 12, 2011

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Twenty Eastern European sailors have been captured by pirates who seized an oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria, the vessel's owner said Wednesday.

The MT Cape Bird, hijacked about 90 nautical miles from Lagos on Saturday night, is still drifting there with the sailors and pirates onboard, said a spokesman for the United Product Tankers GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg, Germany.

The spokesman could not comment on whether or not contact had been established with the vessel and did not know the nationalities of the sailors. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with company policy.

The Nigerian Navy has said it received reports that the vessel was carrying either crude oil or refined gasoline. The United Product Tankers spokesman said the cargo was an oil product, but that he did not think it was crude.

Nigerian Navy vessels have orders to stop the tanker if they find it and to arrest the hijackers.

Analysts expect the ship and its crew to be released within the next few days.

"We know that in some of the cases, they get a ransom, but that is a small amount compared to the main target," said Hans Tino Hansen, CEO of the Denmark-based security firm Risk Intelligence. "The main target is either to use the ship to transfer oil or to steal the crude or refined oil that is on board."

Hijacked ships off the West African coast are usually released after about ten days, he said.

The hijacking is the latest to target West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, which follows the continent's southward curve from Liberia to Gabon. Over the last eight months, piracy in the oil-rich region has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts, according to Risk Intelligence.

In August, London-based Lloyd's Market Association, an umbrella group of insurers, listed Nigeria, neighboring Benin and nearby waters in the same risk category as Somalia, where two decades of war and anarchy have allowed piracy to flourish. However, some analysts say Somali-style piracy is much different to the kind now growing in West African waters.

Risk Intelligence research suggests that that Somali pirates keep hostages for six to eight months and walk away with ransoms averaging $5 million dollars.

"In Nigerian hijackings, they may get a value of crude or refined oil worth twice or four times as much, and they get it in a week," Hansen said.

Armed Security Works...

See what happens when shopping mall quality, untrained security details are hired to save money

From www.SomaliaReport.com


do click on thumbnail and download...

hijack of the MV Montecristo

Get Me and My Family Out of this Crisis... Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, wherever

We have done VIP extractions in politically troubled areas and warzones before.

These VIPs are usually rich businessmen in need of a fast ticket out when major airports in their countries are closed and armed hordes are running around with guns. It makes any journey unsafe.

What we will usually do, is to get the VIP client to the nearest safe airport first, usually by helicopter or armed security convoy. This requires detailed study of maps, ground intel on the situation, use of local informants to reach VIP's extraction point etc.

As you can guess-- situations in Libya and other war torn areas are particularly unsafe now for airplanes given the RPG and shoulder launched anti-aircraft missile threats.

Hence we usually go in at night.

A ground marking and security team will be in place with IR chemlights plus a ground placed codeword for the helicopter to land.


The Jet transporting the client to wherever destination-- usually some place in Europe will usually be specially chartered and pilots told to fly in a cockscrew fashion to a high cruise altitude within airport boundaries to avoid missiles. Some missions have the VIP using his own jet... which we have to secure first with additional teams before taking client to the airport. Jet security requires securing both hangar area as well as the jet itself and using our own jet and refueling and maintainence crew to make sure everything is safe.

We only work with pilots and crew who have completed missions with us before to ensure everybody sings from the same page of music.

Even the helicopter journey to the airport requires special skills to fly... low and fast with night vision goggles plus glare from citylights and streaking random rounds in the air. There might be a door gunner for added security depending on the mission. Our mission planners chose the safest route with least vehicular and human traffic to avoid incidents.

This requires liason with our people on the ground, in some cases paying off certain parties, armed gangs etc to look the other way to get our convoy safe.

Lastly-- have a safe journey with us. You will be served caviar and champagne on almost every chartered flight. Relax-- we will be with you.

We have never had a casualty.

U.S. Admiral: military ships can't stop Somali piracy

By Adam Entous

WASHINGTON | Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:44am IST

(Reuters) - Commercial ships traversing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean should be armed to defend themselves against marauding Somali pirates because international warships can't do the whole job and won't be there forever, a top U.S. Navy admiral said on Thursday.
Seaborne gangs of pirates have stepped up hijack attacks on vessels in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by seizing ships, including tankers, despite the presence of dozens of foreign naval vessels.
"We could put a World War Two fleet of ships out there and we still wouldn't be able to cover the whole ocean," said Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe and Africa, citing attacks from the Gulf of Aden and the Mozambique Channel to off the coast of India.
Overwhelmed by the scope of the maritime problem, the United States has called for a greater international-led focus on going after the pirate money trail.
Underscoring the financial impact of piracy, Fitzgerald said he was told by Kenyan officials that prime real estate in Mombasa and Nairobi were being "bought up by rich Somalis" who lead clans which control piracy syndicates. He cited a similar investment trend in Ethiopian property.
"The U.S. can't go this alone," he said.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Fitzgerald said it was "incumbent upon the vessels who are sailing the high seas to either protect themselves or accept the dangers."
Asked if he would recommend that commercial ships arm themselves, Fitzgerald said: "I think they should."
Some ships already have armed guards on board. Others are using protective devices to try to keep pirates at bay.
"Commercial ships should take appropriate protections ... because we cannot offer 100 percent guarantees of protection as the ships go through," Fitzgerald said, putting the onus on the maritime industry to decide "how seriously they want to take this on."

WEAR-AND-TEAR
On any given day, between 30 and 40 international ships are involved in anti-pirating efforts in the Somali basin and the western Indian Ocean. That includes five to 10 American vessels, Fitzgerald said.
"Yet we're still getting piracy incidents happening," he said, citing the ability of the gangs to "adapt to our tactics" by shifting attacks to areas where there are fewer international patrols, such as near Seychelles or the Mozambique strait.
"I don't think we can sustain the level of operation that we have down there forever," Fitzgerald said, noting that the daily patrols were limiting the number of U.S. Navy ships available for other priorities.
"It tends to concentrate all of our fleet logistics in that one area," Fitzgerald said. "I'd much rather be able to use those ships in other areas for doing other things."
"It costs a lot of money to keep ships down there. It's a lot of wear-and-tear on the ships themselves. And there are other things going on in the world," he added.
The recent capture of five suspected pirates by the U.S. warship Nicholas, in the Indian Ocean west of the Seychelles, has put a spotlight on the thorny issue of how and where to try and jail Somalis who are taken into custody.
"Catch and release is not a very good option," Fitzgerald said, noting that Kenya has decided not to take any more captured pirates. "How do we deal with this? We've got to come to some kind of solution."
Fitzgerald said officials with the U.S. departments of State and Justice were trying to come up with a plan for those being held on the USS Nicholas.
(Reporting by Adam Entous; editing by Patricia Wilson and Eric Beech)