Maritime & Port Security Vol1 #4

Volume 1 Number 4
Winter 2014
Life in the
fast lane
The rise of high-speed interceptors
CALLING
IT OFF
TURNING
THE TIDE
SCARE
TACTICS
Anti-boarding systems
South Americas capabilities
PMSCs in action
www.impsnews.com
IMPS_Winter14_OFC.indd 1
09/12/2014 12:17:24
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IMPS_Winter14_IFC.indd 2
09/12/2014 12:20:22
CONTENTS
Front cover: The value of fast interceptor craft is becoming
increasingly significant in the maritime security domain.
(Photo: Damen)
Editor
Daniel Tye, daniel.t@shephardmedia.com
Tel: +44 1753 727023
James Bridger, Peter Donaldson,

Steve Knight, Edward Lundquist,
4 News

Phil Rood, Richard Scott,

Matthew Smith, Tom Withington,
Mike Yeo
David Hurst, david.h@shephardmedia.com

Sub-editor
Adam Wakeling
Head of Advertising Sales
Editor-in-Chief
Tony Skinner
Managing Director
Darren Lake
Nick Prest
new EU Triton plan

n Thales introduces Sea Fire 500 radar
n Swiftships launches private security
fleet
From collision avoidance to helping prevent

acts of terrorism, maritime surveillance radar
plays a central role in monitoring activity on
the worlds coastlines. Tom Withington
assesses industry offerings.
14 Scare tactics
Tel: +44 1753 727007
Chairman
n Mediterranean SAR downsized under
8 On the lookout
Production Department Manager
Mike Wild, mike.w@shephardmedia.com
Guardian, one of a number of

anti-boarding devices available
to ship owners, is a highly visible
deterrent to would-be boarders.
3 Comment
Contributors
Claire Apthorp, Gordon Arthur,
26
Private maritime security companies

can provide surveillance, protection and
the option of lethal force in response to
attacks on shipping. Claire Apthorp
explores how the rise of such organisations
has impacted overall piracy levels in recent
years.
40 Beating the traffic

20 Turning the tide

SUBSCRIPTIONS
Shephard Media, 268 Bath Road,
Slough, Berks, SL1 4DX
Tel: +44 (0) 1753 727010
An emphasis on securing South Americas

maritime resources has led regional navies
and coast guards to re-assess their
capabilities. Iigo Guevara explores some of
the efforts under way.
44 Irish investment

Email: subs@shephardmedia.com
International Maritime & Port Security is published
four times per year by The Shephard Press Ltd,
26 Calling it off

268 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 4DX, UK.

The 2014 US Institutional subscription price is 65.
Air Business Ltd is acting as mailing agent.
Articles and information contained in this publication
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DTP by Vivid Associates Ltd, Sutton, Surrey, UK

Printed by Buxton Press, Derbyshire, UK
The Shephard Press Ltd, 2014
ISSN 2054-8516
A wide variety of anti-boarding devices and

measures are available to ship owners to help
prevent or lower the risk of potential pirate
attacks. Mike Bryant examines which have
been the most effective.
35 The need for speed

From its humanitarian implications to the

capabilities required for nations to prevent it,
people trafficking is a difficult, deep and
complex issue. Phil Rood looks at some of the
approaches being taken around the world.
As a result of adversaries becoming more

agile and rapid on the seas, there is now
greater demand for effective fast interceptor
craft to help suppress this threat. Phil Rood
evaluates the market.
The Irish Naval Service is poised to play a

bigger international maritime role when it
accepts three new 90m OPVs into its fleet. Phil
Rood talked to Commodore Hugh Tully, INS
Flag Officer, about the challenges ahead.
IN THE NEXT ISSUE

OPV market
Harbour security
Surveillance services
Physical port protection
Subscriptions
The Shephard Press Ltd
268 Bath Road, Slough, Berks, SL1 4DX, UK
Tel: +44 1753 727001
Fax: +44 1753 727002
www.impsnews.com
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IMPS_Winter14_p01_Contents.indd 1
Shephards aerospace and defence publishing portfolio incorporates seven titles:

Defence Helicopter, Digital Battlespace, International Maritime & Port Security, Land
Warfare International, Military Logistics International, Rotorhub and Unmanned Vehicles.
Published bi-monthly or quarterly, each is respected and renowned for covering
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Volume 1 Number 4 | Winter 2014 | International Maritime & Port Security
09/12/2014 14:24:22
thalesgroup.com/tacticos
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IMPS_Winter14_p02.indd
2
TACTICOS14_English_C33465.043_273x205_May14_IntMaritimePortSec_v1.indd
1
09/12/2014
12:43:00
09/05/2014
16:56
COMMENT
Fast interception,
but early ID of threats remains crucial

THIS IS THE FOURTH ISSUE OF IMPS AND IM
excited to be joining the magazine in its early days.
In many ways, the team at Shephard Media
has already done the hard work, but I intend to
do plenty more to make sure we bring you
expert reporting on the emerging technology
and trends in the maritime security sector.
While my background is aerospace and
automotive, its surprising how much crossover
Ive had with maritime. During my degree at the
University of Southampton, I found myself
sharing lecture halls with the Ship Science
students and often ended up casually staring
across at their study books, wondering how well
they were managing with their line drawings of
naval superstructures.
Many of these guys were sponsored by the
Royal Navy and I was sponsored by the RAF. I
spent nights at Southampton University Air
Squadron, which has its HQ directly opposite the
Red Funnel ferry port. Little did I know back then
that Id go on to edit a title dedicated to maritime
security.
Its been 14 years since I graduated, but in that
time Ive travelled and lived in Canada and New
Zealand. Throughout this period, Ive flown light
aircraft and written numerous reports and
features for many of the UKs general aviation
magazines.
Being a pilot gives you a unique perspective,
particularly over coastlines, which offer some of
the most interesting views. The most aweinspiring coastline I have seen was approaching
Libya in November 2010 in a four-seater light
aircraft. It was also one of the most nerveracking experiences, wondering just what lay
ahead at Tripoli.
Being a pilot gives you a

unique perspective,
particularly over coastlines.
Recently, one of my Royal Navy friends told

me about when he flew over those same waters,
but in a Lynx helicopter. It was his job to seek out
vessels on the water that could pose a threat
with small arms fire or missiles on board.
While a rotary-wing aircraft was used in this
case, other services use fast interceptor craft on
the water. Our cover story (see p35) tells you
more about what goes into building these boats
and the missions they are being tasked with.
While interceptor craft will continue to deal
with threats in the future, industry is looking to
utilise radar for earlier identification. Although
now well developed for aviation, they are less so
for maritime use, but this is changing. In this
issue, Tom Withington reports on the increasing
interest among governments, agencies and
ports to deploy more sophisticated coastal
surveillance radar systems (see p8).
SOUTHERN SURVEILLANCE
In a similar vein, South America is currently
running a number of surveillance projects along
its coastline that are beginning to show results
(see p20), while Southeast Asia continues to face
the challenges of human trafficking (see p40).
Piracy continues to be a threat, but it seems
that measures being taken by ship owners off
the Horn of Africa are having the desired effect
there have been fewer attacks.
However, the PMSCs in the area now have to
look for other markets to survive and this issue
also sees Claire Apthorp explain what these
markets could potentially be (see p14).
This doesnt mean the piracy threat has
vanished altogether and low-cost, non-lethal
systems are still needed in other high-risk areas
around the world (see p26).
Expect to see IMPS develop further during
2015, a task Im looking forward to as well as
meeting those of you working in the sector. Im
also looking forward to seeing more coastlines as I
get out and about, but maybe from the deck of a
ship or from a fast interceptor craft, rather than the
aircraft Im used to
RESPONSE
International Maritime & Port Securitys
editorial team is always happy to receive
comments on its articles and to hear
readers views on the issues raised in
the magazine. Contact details can be
found on p1.
Dan Tye, Editor

www.impsnews.com
IMPS_Winter14_p03_Comment.indd 3
09/12/2014 14:16:45
NEWS
FRONTEX
Mediterranean SAR downsized

under new EU Triton plan
THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS

seeking to reach Europe from Africa by crossing
the Mediterranean are at risk after the Italian
Mare Nostrum programme was downscaled
and replaced by a new EU-led initiative.
Italys full-scale operation ended on
31 October but will continue in a limited form
amid doubts over the effectiveness of the EU-led
Operation Triton, which was supposed to
replace it.
Triton, established under the umbrella of the
EUs Frontex border management agency and
incorporating assets from various member
states, has already been sharply criticised for
lacking a sufficient budget and having an

emphasis on border control rather than SAR.
The new operation has six ships, two
aeroplanes and one helicopter, and is limited to
an operational zone of about 50km off the Italian
coast. This contrasts with the Mare Nostrum
operation, which carried out proactive SAR across
70,000km of sea. Frontex also has just a third of
the budget of the Italian programme.
The Italians will maintain a SAR presence
during a two-month transition period. However,
instead of the five large ships assigned to Mare
Nostrum, there will be one vessel stationed at
Lampedusa and three smaller patrol boats.
Italys centre-right Interior Minister Angelino

Alfano insisted: What will be done now is what
was always done at sea until October last year.
Obligations stemming from the laws of the sea
will be respected. There is no abdication from
rescue duties.
But the secretary-general of the European
Council on Refugees and Exiles, Michael
Diedring, claimed that the result of Mare
Nostrums winding up would be multiples of
the 3,000 that have already perished.
The Italian Navy and Coast Guard have been at
the forefront since Mare Nostrum was launched
just over a year ago, saving well over 150,000
migrants seeking to escape war-torn areas such
as Syria and Eritrea and reach Europe. At least
2,500 have died in the Mediterranean trying to
make the crossing, often in unseaworthy boats.
Frontexs operations director Klaus Rsler
said the priority would be to establish effective
border controls and tackle the criminal networks
in North Africa who were often behind the
transport of migrants across the Mediterranean.
Triton is not a replacement for Mare Nostrum,
he said. Frontex is not a coordinating body for
search and rescue operations.
Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti
insisted that downscaling Mare Nostrum did
not mean Italy was reneging on its SAR
commitments and that according to maritime
rules, any vessel requested to intervene in an
emergency situation was obliged to do so.
By Phil Rood, Portsmouth
Thales introduces Sea Fire 500 radar

THALES HAS DEVELOPED A NEW
multifunction naval radar designed for use on
large surface combatants, called Sea Fire 500.
The company unveiled the system at Euronaval
2014 in Paris.
The radar is intended to meet evolving
requirements faced by naval forces, providing
ship self-defence and extended air defence
capabilities against asymmetric opposition
such as UAVs as well as emerging threats such as
anti-ship ballistic missiles, even in heavily

jammed environments and the complex
conditions of the littoral.
Sea Fire 500 exploits research into new radar
technologies and architectures, conducted by
Thales with support from the French defence
procurement agency, DGA.
The radar has four solid-state active fixed
arrays, each offering beam-steering agility and
90 coverage, to provide detection and tracking
International Maritime & Port Security | Winter 2014 | Volume 1 Number 4
IMPS_Winter14_p04-06_News.indd 4
with continuous 360 coverage in azimuth

and 90 in elevation.
Thales has developed Sea Fire 500 as a
modular system that will be available in
several versions and with various antenna
sizes to match platform architectures
and mission types. Each antenna array is
independent, and the four fixed panels can
be located at different points on the vessel.
By Tony Skinner, Paris
www.impsnews.com
09/12/2014 13:43:52
NEWS
Swiftships launches
private security fleet
NEWS ON THE WEB

EU COUNCIL TO APPROVE MARITIME
SECURITY STRATEGY ACTION PLAN
2 December 2014
BRAZILIAN NAVY SELECTS

MBDAS SEA CEPTOR
1 December 2014
SWIFTSHIPS
LOCKHEED MARTINS SURFACE NAVY

INNOVATION CENTER OPENS
26 November 2014
SWIFTSHIPS HAS ANNOUNCED THE

creation of a new subsidiary known as Swift
Maritime Security (SMS), which is establishing a
fleet to provide maritime security services.
Registered in Dubai, SMS will operate
throughout the world to provide escort services
for different types of shipping ranging from
cargo vessels to yachts through hotspots on
short-term contracts using its own fleet of patrol
boats with armed crew.
According Shehraze Shah, CEO of Swiftships,
the inspiration for SMS stemmed from incidents
such as the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama
and the 2013 kidnapping of mariners off the coast
of Nigeria from a ship owned by Edison Chouest.
The SMS idea was further matured during the
companys more recent delivery of a 35m patrol
boat from Bahrain to the Iraqi Navy at Umm Qasr.
We had the US Navy Fifth Fleet on our boats,
he related. We had a chopper. We had a boat on
the side. And we had guys with the guns on the
boat. And the bad guys are scared off when you
have guns on the boat.
Shah said that all those experiences, coupled
with the current maritime security climate, led to
a business decision to begin investing in a
private security fleet.
Insurance brokers want a fleet to have a
good boat and a good team, he said. We have a
good team and we produce better boats than
anybody that we know of. And that makes the
story much simpler.
In terms of pricing the services, Shah alluded
to a day rate perspective that everybody shoots
for in this market. Describing that rate as pretty
out there, he added: But if you have a full team
of both a boat and security services that makes it
even friendlier for everybody.
www.impsnews.com
He added that the easiest part was to get a

contract, but the hardest part was to create the
fleet. We have a 56-footer thats being built as
we speak. Weve finished the design and weve
got the pedal to the metal. We have engines
and jets already in place. We just have to
finish with some of the technology thats not
ITAR-restricted.
SMS growth plans include the construction
of at least 12 boats over the next five years
up to 25m in length. Some vessels may be built
in Egypt, where Swiftships currently has a
co-production operation under way.
Shah emphasised the importance of
compliance with all maritime laws, with the
growing fleet to be equipped with only
non-lethal capabilities. In future operational
settings, the boats will be manned by expatriates
licensed to carry weapons by the UAE.
We have already applied for the licences
and have already been given the clearances.
Shah said. We are ensuring that we are following
all maritime laws.
He argued that there was strong market
demand for such maritime security services.
This is a gold rush, because not many people
are combining the vessel and security team
together. Most of the companies doing security
services have one or two or three people show
up on your boat. Were actually giving them
full fleet support. For instance, if the boat needs
to go from one channel to another channel, we
will escort them the entire time, on our own
boat, he explained.
We show up and, whether its a cargo vessel
or a yacht, we will make sure they get the
coverage.
By Scott R Gourley, California
SIXTH P-8I MARITIME PATROL

AIRCRAFT ARRIVES IN INDIA
26 November 2014
SENSONOR GYRO MODULE

TO STABILISE SIMBAD R
18 November 2014
EGYPTIAN NAVY SELECTS

SWIFTSHIPS PATROL BOATS
10 November 2014
TERMA ANNOUNCES ASIAN

SCANTER RADAR ORDER
7 November 2014
BLIGHTER ENHANCES RADAR COASTAL

SECURITY EFFECTIVENESS
6 November 2014
AEUK WINS UNDERWATER

COUNTERMEASURES RESEARCH
CONTRACT
5 November 2014
EDA MARSUR PROJECT REACHES

OPERATIONAL STATUS
31 October 2014
All these stories can be found at
www.impsnews.com
09/12/2014 13:43:53
NEWS
Indra awarded two VTMIS

contracts for two Brazilian ports
THE BRAZILIAN PORTS OF VITRIA AND
Santos will be equipped with new Vessel
Traffic Management Information Systems
(VTMIS) by Indra under contracts announced
on 17 November.
The first 5.6 million contract was awarded by
Companhia Docas do Esprito Santo, the state
organisation responsible for administering the
port of Vitria, and will see Indra implement its
traffic monitoring and management system
in time for the start of operations in 2015. The
second 7.6 million contract was awarded by
the company that manages the port of Santos,
Companhia Docas do Estado de So Paulo,
with work to be complete by 2016.
Indras VTMIS iMare solution gives port
operators an integrated maritime overview
based on digital and standardised nautical

charts. The system is designed to improve
navigation security, help increase port activity
and raise operational efficiency. It allows for the
monitoring and management of vessel traffic,
and provides information about the areas
environmental conditions in real time and within
an integrated operational environment.
iMare uses tools for management and ordering
of sea traffic and integrates with other port
operation systems under the umbrella of the
paperless port programme. Each vessel in the
vicinity is identified on the operators screen, with
information about its position, cargo and route.
The operator will also have access to a maritime
communications system and will be able to
contact and exchange instructions with vessels.
The system is controlled, operated and

managed from a coordination centre, where
data from a series of sensors is gathered. In the
case of Santos and Vitria, this will be based on
radar systems that monitor vessel movements
in the ports and nearby waters.
The system is complemented by base
stations, repeaters and AIS receivers that collect
identification information sent by vessels. This
information is checked by EO systems that
detect vessels under daytime and night
conditions. Additionally, the system integrates
data for secure maritime traffic management
environmental sensors for weather and climate
conditions and hydrographic sensors for
information about tides and currents.
By Claire Apthorp, London
GERMAN NAVY
Gulf of Guinea piracy concerns increase
SPEAKING AT A RECENT CONFERENCE IN

Singapore, a high-level French naval officer has
highlighted the differences in piracy activity in
the Gulf of Guinea compared to off the Horn
of Africa.
RAdm Bernard-Antoine Morio de IIsle,
currently Commander Pacific Maritime Zone,
French Navy and until recently a naval advisor in

the French Presidential office, told IMPS that
piracy off the coast of West Africa was much
more violent.
At the Coastal Surveillance 2014 event, he
explained that threats and violence were used to
ensure that pirates were able to steal cargo, but
that afterwards sailors were usually let go.

This is unlike the operations of Somali pirates
where holding ships and crew for ransom is
the main activity.
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is continuing to
increase, but Morio de IIsle said that it tended
to be far less intelligence-led, with pirates
sometimes attacking ships without cargo. The
French Navy has spearheaded international
efforts to curtail such activity in the largely
Francophone region.
However, Morio de IIsle said that the navies
in the region lacked both the physical and
institutional capacity to tackle the problem.
France has assisted by helping maintain vessels
of regional navies and has been key in backing
the launch of a regional operations centre to
share information, which will open in 2015.
The Gulf of Guinea is an important trade
route with 2-3,000 ships passing through its 20
million square kilometres each day. So far this
year there have been a reported 100 sea
robberies and 60 piracy attacks, but Morio
de IIsle concluded that many others may be
going unreported.
By Darren Lake, Singapore
www.impsnews.com
09/12/2014 13:43:54
OPINION
Setting
the stage
THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION HAS SURPASSED
Europe as the worlds second largest naval market
after the US.
According to market analysts AMI
International, Asia-Pacific countries are expected
to spend around $200 billion on new ships and
submarines by 2032, making up roughly 25% of
the global projected new ship market.
Southeast Asia in particular is set to spend
more than $25 billion on new ships through
2031, with patrol vessels, frigates and
amphibious ships comprising the primary
group of future new naval projects in the
region. Following a sustained period of positive
growth, many Southeast Asian countries are
building up military capabilities, with an eye
towards better protection of their assets,
especially the shipping lanes, ports and
maritime boundaries that are critical to exports
and supply chains.
STRATEGICALLY PLACED
Singapore is strategically located at the heart of
the fast-growing maritime defence industry in
Asia-Pacific and the International Maritime
Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX
Asia) is well poised to tap into the burgeoning
growth of the naval and maritime security
industry in the region.
IMDEX Asia 2015, which will be held in
Singapore from 19-21 May, has received a strong
vote of confidence through early sign-ups, with
more than 80% of the exhibition space already
booked six months ahead of the show.
This reflects its importance as Asia-Pacifics
premier maritime defence show, a must-attend
event in the international naval and maritime
security calendar and a springboard for
exhibitors and visitors to tap into the vast
opportunities available.
IMDEX Asia brings together high-profile
participants, including chiefs of navy, director
www.impsnews.com
IMPS_Winter14_p07_Opinion.indd 7
generals of coast guards, heads of maritime

agencies and industry leaders. Organised by
Experia Events, IMDEX Asia is supported by the
Republic of Singapore Navy and the Defence
Science and Technology Agency.
Returning major industry players such as
Damen, Elbit, General Dynamics Canada, Israel
Aerospace Industries, Lrssen, MTU, Rafael, Saab,
ST Marine and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
have already signed up to exhibit at IMDEX Asia.
The show will also see the introduction of firsttime exhibitors such as Ametek, Microflown
Maritime, Strategic Marine and Stone Marine.
HOLISTIC PROGRAMME
In addition to the exhibition, warships and static
display components, featuring a wide array of
amphibious craft, unmanned vehicles and
helicopters, IMDEX Asia 2015 will also feature a
holistic programme of strategic
and technical conferences. These enable
participants to keep abreast of the latest
developments in the industry and address
challenges facing its future.
The conferences bring together high-level
representatives from a wide spectrum of naval
and maritime organisations, including navies,
governments, commercial and military ship
operators, designers, shipbuilders,
manufacturers and academia.
The International Maritime Security
Conference (IMSC) is a strategic conference
that addresses contemporary regional
maritime issues, industry trends and challenges.
Themed Safe and Secure Seas Strengthening
Cooperation in Maritime Security, IMSC will
address threats to maritime safety and security,
and develop frameworks and solutions to deal
with security challenges that threaten and
disrupt sea lines of communication.
IMDEX Asia will once again play host to the
Asian edition of the International Naval
Engineering Conference and Exhibition (INEC at

IMDEX Asia) in 2015. With the theme of Adapt
and Transform, the conference will feature the
latest technologies for naval platform design
through industry technical workshops.
In addition, the 15th Asia-Pacific Submarine
Conference (APSC) will be held in conjunction
with IMDEX Asia 2015. The APSC brings
together regional submarine operating navies
and other navies and organisations with an
interest in submarine safety to discuss
submarine survivability, escape and
interoperability of rescue assets.
All in all, we are very excited about the highly
anticipated tenth edition of IMDEX Asia in 2015.
We look forward to welcoming participants
from around the world and pushing new
frontiers, as IMDEX 2015 is set to deliver
opportunities for exhibitors, delegates and
trade visitors to network, tap into emerging
markets and be updated on the latest products
and technologies.
By Leck Chet Lam, Experia Events
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leck Chet Lam is managing director of
Experia Events, organiser of IMDEX 2015,
Asia-Pacifics flagship maritime
defence show. He was previously
part of SIA Engineering and divisional VP
engineering (operations) at Singapore
Airlines.
09/12/2014 13:01:02
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
From collision avoidance to helping prevent

acts of terrorism, maritime surveillance radar
plays a central role in monitoring activity on
the worlds coastlines. Tom Withington
assesses industry offerings.
On the
lookout
T
he length of the worlds combined

coastline is over 350,000km around the
distance of the moon from Earth. Radar plays
a vital role in ensuring that several thousand
kilometres of this coastline is secure and can
be navigated in a safe fashion.
The number of vessels in these waters can
be visualised on the MarineTraffic website,
which displays an up-to-date picture of the traffic
within a particular stretch of the worlds oceans
as selected by the user. It uses information
culled from the international Automatic
Identification System (AIS), which displays track
data transmitted from a radio transponder
affixed to all ships displacing in excess of 300t,
as mandated by the IMOs International
Convention for the Safety of
Life at Sea.
IMPS_Winter14_p08-12_Coastal_Radar.indd 8
www.impsnews.com
11/12/2014 14:44:28
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Blighters B400 series of radars are designed

to provide coastal surveillance as well as the
protection of key marine infrastructure such
as ports. (Photo: Blighter)
Few pictures better illustrate

the challenge for radars in terms
of shipping volumes. Termas
systems are used for the
surveillance of Singapores
maritime approaches to this end.
(Photo: Terma)
AIS uses a standard VHF (30-300MHz)

transceiver aligned with a geolocation system
such as GPS or the Long Range Navigation-C
(LORAN-C) system, the latter of which broadcasts
a ships position using HF transmissions of
10MHz, allowing the vessel to transmit its position
at over-the-horizon ranges, given the ability of
such frequencies to bounce off the ionosphere.
The AIS transmits details regarding a vessels
identity, course, location and speed and is
an important addition to a coast guards tool
kit, contributing to the recognised maritime
picture of the seas under their jurisdiction. Such
information can be overlaid onto the agencys
own coastal surveillance radar to provide details
about ships in the vicinity.
LINE OF SIGHT
Like optronics systems and visual identification
(known in industry and military circles as the
Mark I eyeball), radar is also essentially
limited to line-of-sight range.
However, the higher
above sea level
In April, Airbus won a renewed

order for its SPEXER 2000 coastal
surveillance radar from an
undisclosed Middle Eastern country.
(Photo: Airbus Defence and Space)
www.impsnews.com
the radar is positioned, the longer its range. As

such, clifftops and tower mountings are two
means by which this can be greatly increased.
In addition, some radars can artificially
increase their range using a process known
as atmospheric attenuation, where bands of
moisture extending above the sea surface can
carry a radar wave far beyond line-of-sight
range. In effect, this extends the systems gaze
over the horizon.
Furthermore, unlike eyesight and optronics,
radar is largely unaffected by weather and can
perform surveillance by day and night. However,
it is important to add the caveat that high levels
of moisture in the atmosphere caused by rain or
haze, for example, can degrade some radar
coverage, depending on the band in which it is
transmitting.
Not only do coastal radars enhance maritime
safety by helping ensure that vessels do not
collide with one another, they also improve
security. Their importance was highlighted in
November 2008 when members of the Lashkare-Taiba organisation reached their objective of
Mumbai, India, using small inflatable boats
launched from the Indian trawler Kuber, which
was hijacked a few days earlier. The ensuing
gun and bomb attacks resulted in 174
deaths and many hundreds
more injuries.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
However, providing effective surveillance
information is one challenge for coastal radars,
with clutter being a particular problem. The
ocean is not flat, and rough seas can result in
waves several feet high. Much as undulating land
does for low-flying air targets, high waves can
appear on radars, as the crests reflect the radar
pulses, which show up as clutter. Small craft, such
as those used by the Lashkar-e-Taiba insurgents,
can hide in this.
Consequently, the ability of coastal radar to
discriminate between sea clutter and small
targets is paramount. Systems typically transmit
in the S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7GHz) and X-band
(8.5-10.68GHz), although there are some
exceptions. There is no perfect frequency band
each has its advantages and disadvantages.
S-band offers good performance in adverse
weather which can degrade the performance
of X-band radar, although the latter has good
performance in clear weather and offers better
target resolution.
There are also some important differences in
coastal surveillance radar architectures. Some use
continuous wave (CW) architecture, with others
using pulse-Doppler the latter measures the
time difference between the transmission of
a radar pulse, which may be microseconds in
duration, and the reflection of that pulse in the
form of an echo from its target.
As radar pulses travel at the speed of light
(300,000km/s), it is possible to determine the
range of a target by determining the time
it takes for the pulse to return
11/12/2014 14:44:30
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
as an echo. Pulse-Doppler radars use the

Doppler effect, or Doppler shift, which is the
subtle change in frequency a pulse receives after
it has hit its target and been reflected as an echo.
By measuring the shift of the original transmitted
frequency compared to that of the returned
echo, it is possible to measure the speed of
the target relative to the position of the radar.
CW radars make use of this for moving
targets, but stationary targets do not produce
a Doppler shift. For this reason, CW systems
use frequency-modulated CW (FMCW)
architecture. FMCW radar increases and
decreases its transmission frequency during a
specific time frame without changing the
amplitude of the signal it transmits. They boast
good clutter discrimination, are comparatively
less complex to build and use less power than
pulse-Doppler radars, making them cheaper to
procure and operate.
INDUSTRY OFFERINGS
According to Jennifer Gruber, sales manager
for security radar at Airbus Defence and Space,
the companys SPEXER 2000 coastal radar was
developed for the surveillance of coastlines and
provides an instrumented range of 247km.
The SPEXER 1500, which has a similar range,
can supplement the 2000 model for port and
coastline surveillance, and both radars use
pulse-Doppler architecture and transmit in the
X-band. The two systems also employ an active
electronically scanned array (AESA).
AESA radars house a large number of
transmit/receive (T/R) modules. Each one is in
effect a mini radar in its own right, generating
and then transmitting a pulse and then
processing the echo for display to the operator.
The advantage of such antennas is that they can
multitask using a selection of the T/R modules
for example, some can be configured to perform
air surveillance, while the others perform
surface surveillance.
By using the principle of constructive
interference, a beam can be steered to look in a
certain direction without needing to necessarily
move the antenna. Another advantage is the
radars graceful degradation by which it will
continue to function if some of the T/R modules
stop working.
Both the SPEXER 1500 and 2000 can track
land targets, and this has a particularly useful
application in terms of combating smuggling.
Gruber noted: The radars can continue to track
10
Exeliss LCR-2020 is now in service in Sweden

following an initiative by the company to upgrade
its legacy LCR radars. (Photo: Exelis)
the smuggler once they have left their boat and

are moving forward on land.
In April 2014, Airbus Defence and Space
received a contract to deliver four SPEXER 2000
radars to an undisclosed Middle Eastern country.
CRITICAL PROTECTION
Another manufacturer of maritime radars is
Blighter Surveillance Systems, which has
developed the B400 series for such applications.
According to CEO Mark Radford, the radar can
provide scan angles of 90, 180, 270 or 360 and
elevation beam selection of either 5, 10 or 20.
He noted that B400-series systems are
typically used as coastal security radars, where
they are deployed for protection of critical
national infrastructure. The radars use FMCW
architecture and have a range of around 8km,
although Radford said that this can be increased
to 32km if required.
AESA technology is
increasingly being used in
the defence domain.
Meanwhile, Exelis has found widespread

success with its coastal surveillance radar range.
The company recently completed the upgrade
of Swedens legacy coastal Low Coverage Radars
(LCR) to the new LCR-2020 standard under the
Reliability and Modification 870 programme. This
added a number of features to the LCR, including
a new antenna and transmitter, plus a
replacement processor and display.
The first radar upgraded to LCR-2020 status
commenced operation in Sweden in 2012. Unlike
many radars, this is a dual-beam C-band system
with an instrumented range of up to 185km and
a maximum altitude of almost 30,000ft with 25
of elevation. Frequency agility helps protect the
radar against interference from ECMs.
According to Kevin Davis, director of business
development for radar, reconnaissance and
undersea systems at Exelis, it is designed for
both air and surface detection.
In terms of the Swedish LCR-2020 programme,
the company modified 17 of the countrys radars.
Exelis now plans to offer the LCR-2020 as a retrofit
for operators of its legacy coastal surveillance
radars, such as the LCR, in addition to offering
it as a new-build product.
By using the C-band for the radars
transmission, Davis said it provides good target
resolution and weather penetration, which is not
always the case for X-band radars. Additionally,
use of this band helps avoid interference issues
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11/12/2014 14:44:31
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
with ground-based air defence S-band radars

that might be transmitting near the coast.
Alongside Sweden, Exelis coastal surveillance
radars are used by Croatia, Montenegro and
South Korea, among others. Davis added that he
expected Croatia to commence the retrofit of its
radars to LCR-2020 status by next year, and for
the upgrade process to be completed by 2016.
ISRAELI INDUSTRY
Given the security challenges which Israel
experiences in its coastal areas, it is little surprise
that the countrys defence electronics specialists
have turned their attention to producing
maritime surveillance radars.
IAI Elta Systems manufactures the ELM-2226
Advanced Coastal Surveillance Radar family and
the ELM-2112(V5). The former employs FMCW
architecture and transmits in the X-band. With a
range of around 60km for small ships and 20km
for small boats, it offers 1.5 and 3.5 of azimuth
and elevation beam width respectively, with the
potential to track around 500 targets.
Meanwhile, the X-band ELM-2112(V5) is

optimised for coastal surveillance at shorter
ranges. As such it can detect a medium-sized ship
at 32km and a small boat at 5km. Like the ELM2226, it employs FMCW architecture, although it
offers a comparatively sharper azimuth accuracy
of 0.5 and a range accuracy of below 10m.
Elsewhere, Indras iCSR-20 X-band coastal
surveillance radar uses an architecture which
features pulse compression techniques
improved with Doppler processing, and
provides a range of up to 28km for small
targets and 30km for larger targets.
According to Luis Cambronero, vessel traffic
systems and maritime surveillance manager at
the company, this allows the determination of
both the position and velocity of the targets
based on pulse timing techniques for range
determination and Doppler frequency shifts
measurement for velocity determination.
Consequently, the radar combines the
features of pulse radars and continuous wave
radars in a single system, he added.
SHORE THINGS
In the UK, Kelvin Hughes has developed Shore
Based Systems (SBS), which are marketed in three
families: SBS-700; SBS-800; and SBS-900. The first
range uses an X-band magnetron-based
transceiver, while four variants of SBS-800 are
available in X- and S-band configurations.
However, Mark Bown, group marketing
manager at Kelvin Hughes, said that the
SBS-800 radars use solid-state, as opposed to
magnetron-based, architecture. No magnetron
means the reliability of the system is extremely
high, he explained.
Meanwhile, the SBS-900 uses the same
transceiver that equips the companys
SharpEye radar family, which includes S- and
X-band products, differing in terms of power
output and both providing an instrumented
range of around 90km.
Kelvin Hughes coastal surveillance radars
are in service at a number of sites around
the world, including Darwin Port in Australia and
offshore oilfields in Azerbaijan.
Reduces Cost by Eliminating Need for Hot Work, Fire Watch, and Gas Freeing
Maximizes Design and Work Sequence Flexibility
Facilitates and Simplifies Repairs at Sea
Protects Against Galvanic Corrosion
www.impsnews.com
11
11/12/2014 14:44:31
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Another manufacturer of such products is

Selex ES, which produces the X-band Lyra 50
with a 48km detection range and a beam
width of 0.45 in azimuth and 20 in elevation.
According to Antonio Levato of Selex ESs land
and naval division, this radar supports coast
guards in their activities to guarantee sea safety
and security, [assisting the fight against]
smuggling, illegal trafficking, piracy, terrorism,
pollution and illegal fishing.
Using pulse-Doppler architecture, the radar
employs digital pulse compression. This allows
it to transmit narrow pulses of RF energy to
enhance accuracy and resolution. A narrow radar
pulse sharpens the radars resolution, in the same
way that a digital picture comprising hundreds
and thousands of pixels is rich in appearance.
Moreover, such compression reduces clutter,
enabling the operator to discern small targets
with a low radar cross-section. The system has
been procured by customers in Italy, Poland,
Turkey and Yemen.
The Lyra 50 is joined by the companys
X-band Argos-30X which can detect small sea
and air targets at a range of around 180km and
is used by the Italian Navy. It has three operating
modes: Mode 1 for long-range surveillance;
Mode 2 for medium-range surveillance using
a high antenna rotation speed; and Mode 3 with
a low antenna rotation speed to provide
over-the-horizon detection.
This provides the radar with a range of
between 100 and 240km. Additionally, by
using digital pulse compression the Argos can be
supplied with automatic frequency selection to
enhance its resistance to ECMs by automatically
selecting the least-jammed frequency within the
radars operational band.
POWER PRODUCTION
Another active player in the market, Danish
company Terma offers the Scanter 2001 and
Scanter 5000 product family. The latter includes
the 5102 (producing 50W of equivalent pulse
power) and 5202 (200W) variants.
This difference in output power ultimately
affects range. The 5202 has a longer gaze,
suiting it to coastal surveillance, while the shorterrange 5201 is arguably better fitted to port and
harbour security.
Termas pulse-Doppler radars, as with many
others previously described, are solid-state in
that they do not employ vacuum tubes. When
performing air surveillance, they can track around
12
Thales produces a range of

coastal surveillance radars
which includes the X-band
CoastWatcher-10.
(Photo: author)
200 targets, although this expands to around 500

for surface surveillance.
According to director of security applications
Birger Nielsen, the companys Scanter 2001 radar
is used at over 1,500 locations around the world.
Unlike the solid-state X-band Scanter 5000 family,
it uses a magnetron to generate RF energy.
However, the Scanter 5000 range is achieving
similar levels of success as the 2001. The family
has been sold to around 20 countries We have
supplied Scanter 5101 and Scanter 5102 radars
to the Kystvakten [Royal Norwegian Coast Guard]
as of 2012, furnishing them with 30 units,
Nielsen said.
Beyond Norway, Scanter has been sold to the
Port of London Authority in the UK; the Port of
Hamburg; and the Spanish Guardia Civil. As IMPS
was going to press, the company was about to
launch a new member of the Scanter 2000 family

in the form of the 2200 product. Like other
systems in the Terma family, this X-band, 88km
range, 2D (range and azimuth) radar includes
solid-state technology, unlike the Scanter 2001
which employs a magnetron.
ON WATCH
Thales is another company well embedded in the
market. Its CoastWatcher 100 can be positioned
at up to 3,280ft above sea level, where it can
detect small boats at a range of up to 110km.
This X-band pulse-Doppler radar employs pulse
compression to provide sharp imagery and is
claimed to detect and track up to 1,000 surface
and air targets simultaneously.
The radar is available in three variants: the
Coast Watcher 100-1, with 300W of output
power; the 100-2 (600W); and the 100-3 (1,200W).
A variant which has an automatic least jammed
frequency mode to outflank spot jamming is also
available subject to French government export
approval. Coast Watcher radars are in use in
various countries in Africa, Latin America and
Southeast Asia.
In terms of future innovations, a number
of new attributes are being mooted for the
next generation of coastal surveillance radars.
Currently, many on the market are only 2D
systems. According to George Yakimovicz,
senior programme director at Exelis, there is
now a move in the industry to think about 3D
radars to provide elevation information along
with range and bearing data.
This will be particularly useful in the detection
of air targets. One means by which this could
be achieved is the adoption of AESA antenna
technology. Airbus Defence and Space has stolen
a march in this with its SPEXER 2000.
Meanwhile, Gruber said she expects that
radars using AESA technology will increasingly
be used in port and coastal surveillance
applications, since they provide a better and
more reliable surveillance capability compared
to mechanically rotating antennas.
However, these systems remain expensive,
and this may have prevented a high uptake
of such technology by cost-conscious coast
guards to date. Despite this, AESA is increasingly
being used in the defence domain for aircraft-,
land- and ship-based radars, and the more this
technology is utilised the less expensive it may
become, thus assisting its adoption for coastal
surveillance. IMPS
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IMPS_Winter14_p13.indd 13
09/12/2014 12:58:03
PMSCs
iracy off the Horn of Africa has posed an

immense challenge to maritime security
over the past decade. Due to a deteriorating
situation in the failed state of Somalia, attacks
on merchant shipping escalated into a major
threat by 2005 until a number of initiatives and
security practices halted the rising number of
incidents in 2012.
The piracy threat in the region is characterised
by criminals taking control of vessels in high-risk
areas with the purpose of extorting ransom
money for the crew, vessel and cargo from the
shipping company. At its height, the average
crew held hostage remained in captivity for
five months, and up to four years in some
extreme cases.
As well as threatening the shipping lines that
transport goods through the area, piracy off the
Horn of Africa has had a significant impact on
maritime security and the economic health of
nations in the region.
With around half of all global trade passing

through the Indian Ocean, the World Bank
estimated in 2013 that piracy costs the global
economy roughly $18 billion a year in increased
trade costs. Consequently, efforts to reduce
incidents in the Horn of Africa have become
increasingly urgent.
UPS AND DOWNS
Piracy in the Indian Ocean has been an ongoing
issue since the 1980s, but while the situation in
Somalia has deteriorated over the past decade,
issues in the western Indian Ocean have
increased.
To tackle this, vessels operating in these waters
carry a range of equipment to prevent and deter
pirate attacks, including sophisticated radar
systems to detect suspicious activity, antiboarding devices to prevent pirates accessing the
vessel and bulletproof blockades, bunkers and
armoured safe rooms to protect the crew.
A boarding team from the RN Type 23

frigate HMS Monmouth conducts
counter-piracy operations as part
of maritime security efforts.
(Photo: Crown Copyright)
14
IMPS_Winter14_p14-19_PMSCs.indd 14
As the rate of attacks increased year on year,

from around 2008 it became serious enough
that vessel operators began to routinely employ
teams of armed guards as the final layer of
defence. However, while demand for these
services was high, there was little regulation
or standards in place, and this emerging market
was somewhat chaotic.
John Thompson, co-founder and senior
advisor of Ambrey Risk, told IMPS: With a huge
excess of demand and limited available supply,
a lot of the early market entrants were struggling
to get on top of their offerings, and at first their
service levels varied hugely. Weapons were
being bought from all sorts of murky areas of
the world, teams were being put on board who
were indifferently trained or badly vetted at
best it was a troublesome time for the buyer.
SETTING STANDARDS
For many PMSCs, including Ambrey, this
presented an opportunity to focus on standards,
compliance and customer experience.
In 2011, British Prime Minister David Cameron
announced that ships sailing under the British
flag were permitted to carry armed guards,
spurring recognition of the need for globally
accepted standards for PMSCs.
The relevant maritime security standard
consists of two parts: ISO/PAS 28007:2012 and
ISO 28000:2007. These are guidelines for PMSCs
that provide privately contracted armed security
personnel (PCASP) on board ships, and specify
the requirements for a security management
system, including those aspects critical to security
assurance of the supply chain.
In achieving their security goals, PMSCs have
become supply chain operators in the eyes of the
authorities, because they are moving men with
arms and ammunition around the world from
one country to another, so part of the standard is
to ensure that their supply chains are robust so
that arms and ammunition do not go missing,
Steve Cameron, marine director and regional
specialist for Africa at RTI Forensics, told IMPS.
The other part of the process is to make sure
they have in place all the standard operating
procedures to enable them to operate effectively
and safely without putting at risk the ships, the
people they are protecting or the environment.
The need for these rules brought together
under the IMO, agreed to by stakeholders and
globally accepted as ISO standards has been
driven by commercial requirements, giving the
www.impsnews.com
09/12/2014 12:58:51
PMSCs
maritime industry a benchmark against which

shipping companies can ensure they are
employing professionally trained and managed
teams on their ships.
Ambrey Risk was one of three companies
involved in the development of the City & Guildsaccredited Maritime Security Operatives (MSO)
8269 standard for the training of PCASPs
operating on board ships.
This is now stipulated by the UK government
and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency
(MCA) as the training standard required to
work on British-flagged ships an arrangement
accepted by the IMO and supported by
major shipping associations and the security
industry, including the Security Association
for the Maritime Industry and the Security in
Complex Environments Group.
Ambrey is also involved in the development
of a standard for heavy firearms training that is
currently awaiting approval by the UKs
Association of Chief Police Officers.
PCASPs provide a critical

component of a layered defence
for vessels transiting high-risk
waters. (Photo: Ambrey Risk)
Scare
tactics
Private maritime security companies can provide surveillance, protection and the option
of lethal force in response to attacks on shipping. Claire Apthorp explores how the
rise of such organisations has impacted overall piracy levels in recent years.
www.impsnews.com
15
09/12/2014 12:58:52
PMSCs
the water or over their heads, but only if they

continue to use lethal force to board the ship will
they end up in a firefight with the PCASPs.
In the last 12 months, we have fired only a
handful of rounds as warning shots these
groups arent extremists, they arent willing
to die, this is a business for them so the
typical response is for them to disappear and
try and find a ship that is not as well secured
or prepared.
Combined task force operations

have contributed significantly to
a reduction in pirate attacks.
(Photo: Crown Copyright)
BEST PRACTICES
The use of lethal force to deter pirates from
boarding a vessel on which PCASPs are operating
is a last resort. In the first instance, PMSCs provide
clients with a risk assessment of the vessel,
taking an audit of the onboard systems and
relaying advice on layered defences, particularly
with regards to utilising Best Management
Practices for Protection against Somali Based
Piracy (BMP4).
This code dictates the requirements for vessels,
including: registering with the Maritime Security
Centre Horn of Africa prior to entering the highrisk area (bounded by Suez and the Strait of
Hormuz to the north, 10S and 78E); reporting
to UK Marine Trade Operations upon entering
this area; and implementing ship protection
measures to harden the vessel against boarding
by pirates.
A typical pirate group will have a couple of
skiffs with Yamaha outboard motors capable
of doing 40-50kt but with a short range, and
in order to get far enough offshore into the
shipping lanes they need a bigger ocean-going
vessel, so they may capture a dhow operating
between Somalia and Yemen either a fishing
vessel or commercial transporter to use as a
mothership, Thompson said.
16
Towing their skiffs behind the mothership,

they will then operate in a certain area looking
at what vessels are out there, and probing the
shipping lanes in their skiffs to see what measures
the vessels have on board.
A good secure ship will have a very effective
watch system on board and theyll be on top of
the radar spotting contacts from a long way out.
If they spot a suspicious high-speed skiff coming
at them and there are PCASPs on board, a range
of escalatory measures will be undertaken to
show the pirates that they have been sighted
and that the ship is armed.
STANDING GROUND
This initially involves sounding the ships
horn, increasing speed and changing direction,
followed by turning on fire hoses on the side
of the vessel. The security team will muster the
ships non-essential crew in its citadel or safe
room while continuing to increase escalation
measures. Flares will be fired and PCASPs will take
firearms onto the vessels bridge wings and hold
them aloft so the pirates can see they are armed.
Skiffs usually come up from the stern and try
and get themselves alongside, continued
Thompson. If they continue coming at that point
we might start firing warning shots, either into
NAVAL TASK FORCES

As part of the international effort to contain the
piracy threat, the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR)
Somalia Operation Atalanta was launched in
December 2009.
EU NAVFORs mandate is to protect vessels
that are delivering aid under the World Food
Programme to displaced persons in Somalia, as
well as shipping for the African Union Mission in
the country. Its other stated aims include:
deterring, preventing and repressing acts
of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the
Somali coast; protecting vulnerable shipping on
a case-by-case basis; and contributing to the
monitoring of fishing activities.
In late 2013, the EU Council took the decision
to extend Atalanta until the end of 2014. At
this time, the operational area was extended
to include the Somali coastal territory and
internal waters.
In June 2014, NATO also elected to extend
its Ocean Shield counter-piracy operations in
the Horn of Africa until the end of 2016 due to
ongoing unrest in Somalia. NATO vessels are
working with US and EU naval forces to patrol
the waters in the region, and this has been under
way since 2008, providing escorts and deterrence
to tackle evolving pirate trends and tactics. The
force is comprised of Allied nations providing
ships and MPAs to NATOs standing maritime
groups, which in turn assign a number of ships
on a rotational basis to Ocean Shield.
ACTIVE DETERRENTS
The ultimate role of a naval task force is to act as
an active deterrent to piracy in high-risk waters.
By identifying where pirates are operating,
picking them up, detaining and prosecuting
them, increasing numbers of people are being
taken out of the system. Along with the use of
PMSCs playing a last-resort passive deterrent
role, shipping lanes in the waters off the Horn of
Africa are becoming increasingly safe.
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09/12/2014 12:58:53
09/12/2014 12:58:53
PMSCs
No ship with armed guards on board has been

successfully pirated since their introduction,
which has lowered the profile of piracy in the
Indian Ocean in the media, Cameron said. But
when you read the security reports published by
maritime security agencies you see there are still
attempts to attack vessels on a regular basis
and exchanges of fire in a number of cases so
the threat is still there, but it is being contained
and properly managed.
With the structures that sit behind piracy in
Somalia remaining intact, there is a risk that
complacency could creep in.
The criminal gangs that run pirate groups now
know shipping very well and are very businesslike they approach the right vessels and target
richer companies to get a bigger ransom,
Thompson said. While PMSCs and naval forces
have acted to deter the practise of piracy, they
have not gone away they have just focused on
other low-risk activities and will continue to lay
low until they spot the chink in the security
system that is protecting the vessels.
What they are waiting for is a reduction in
spending on security to the point where they can
safely start targeting shipping again, and then
they will come back. The reality is that shipping
has a very short commercial memory, and the
danger is complacency for ship operators to
begin to think the $30,000 saved on security
outweighs the risk of attack.
MARKET CONSTRICTION
This is already having an impact on the PMSC
market, with some shipping lines attempting to
drive down the cost of having teams on board,
and putting pressure on providers to reduce from
the standard four-man team to two- and threeman teams. And while the entry of new players in
the sector levelled off around 12 months ago, the
oversupply of companies operating in this space
is causing a constriction of the market.
The effects of this are already being felt. In July
2014, UK maritime security company Gulf of Aden
Group Transits abruptly ceased trading, leaving
its employees including around 100 PCASPs
owed millions of pounds in unpaid salaries, and
armed guards on board vessels in transit through
high-risk waters in the Gulf of Aden.
Sector consolidation is a big issue weve seen
one company go bust this year and I think more
will follow, Thompson said. The impact is more
than unpaid salaries. You have the issue of
firearms if you have firearms in ten different
18
PCASPs can deploy a range of escalatory

measures to deter suspicious vessels and
warn pirates that armed guards are on
board the ship. (Photo: Ambrey Risk)
jurisdictions, which is on average what a PMSC

will have, if they go bust, who is accounting for
those firearms? What about the guards who are
at sea when the company goes down?
Anthony Rix, director of maritime security at
the Salamanca Group, agreed that consolidation
will change the shape of the PMSC market, but
noted that the sector still has scope to develop
into new areas as well.
The regulation of the maritime security
industry has caught up with the marketplace and
it is a very professional industry now, we must
maintain, if not increase, that professionalism,
because competition can result in a reduction in
standards, he said. We need to be very careful to
watch closely and guard against that.
Were already seeing some of the smaller
companies ceasing operations, so I think that
the trend is that we will see fewer but larger
companies operating not only in the Indian
Ocean but also other areas.
While the waters off the Horn of Africa have
been the focus of anti-piracy efforts over the past
five years, there are a number of areas where
If you look at the figures for

the Indian Ocean, you can
see how effective maritime
security has been there.
attacks persist as a lower-level threat, and where

the three-pronged approach PMSCs, naval task
forces and BMP4 taken in the western Indian
Ocean could potentially be used to great effect.
GOING DOWN
Piracy levels are falling around the globe. The IMB
reported that in 2012 attacks reached a five-year
low, with 297 ships targeted that year, compared
with 439 in 2011.
The first six months of 2014 saw 116 incidents
of piracy and armed robbery reported globally
ten vessels hijacked, seven fired upon, 78
boarded, 21 attempted attacks down from 138
in the same period of 2013.
While the waters off the western and eastern
coasts of Africa remained the worst-hit areas, with
150 attacks in 2012, the seas off Somalia and the
Gulf of Aden saw just 75 ships report attempted
attacks in 2012 compared with 237 the previous
year, and overall Somali hijackings fell from 28 in
2011 to 14 in 2012. The first six months of 2014
saw ten Somali pirate attacks reported, including
three vessels fired upon, with no ships boarded.
If you look at the figures for the Indian Ocean
and Somalia, you can see how effective maritime
security has been there, Rix said. You could say
that Somalia is a shining example of how things
can be improved if security is applied in a
professional manner.
However, for other regional hotspots the story
is very different, according to Rix. The Singapore
Straits, for example, averaged eight actual or
attempted attacks annually between 2009 and
2013; Malaysian waters saw an average of 14
www.impsnews.com
09/12/2014 12:58:55
PMSCs
annually over the same period; while Nigeria

averaged 23 here in fact the situation is getting
worse, with ten attacks reported in 2011, 27 in
2012 and 31 in 2013.
So maybe its time to look at the South
China Sea and the Gulf of Guinea to see how
a similar improvement could be made there,
Rix noted.
There has been an increasing trend of attacks
on small tankers in Southeast Asian waters,
with the IMBs half-yearly 2014 report describing
how at least six coastal tankers were hijacked for
their diesel or gas oil cargoes between April and
July a marked shift from the previous trend of
seeing vessels, mainly at anchor, boarded for
petty theft.
Another major problem area, the Gulf of
Guinea as a whole, reported 58 incidents in 2012,
including ten hijackings and 207 crew members
taken hostage. Pirates in this region are known to
be particularly violent, with guns reported in at
least 37 of the attacks. Benin is an exception,
showing a sharp fall from 20 incidents (including
eight hijackings) in 2011 to two (including one

hijacking) in 2012.
The picture in this territory is unlikely to
change, as current regulations prevent the use
of armed guards on board vessels in territorial
waters. Unlike the situation in the western Indian
Ocean, where the majority of ships are transiting
to other locations, in West Africa most are trading
up and down the coast, passing through
territorial waters.
When a vessel in the Indian Ocean carrying
armed guards needs to go into port to disembark
or embark crew, that activity will be approved
and licensed by the local state. Weapons and
equipment are stored in a properly licensed,
government-approved armoury either offshore
or onshore, said Rix.
In the Gulf of Guinea you cant get those
licences, so if you want armed security it has to
be provided by the armed forces of the host
nation arguably this is why we arent seeing an
improvement in maritime security off the Gulf
of Guinea compared with the Indian Ocean.
MIDDLE MEN
As PMSCs cannot provide armed guards on
board vessels travelling in territorial waters, an
increasing number of companies are providing
a security advisory service, acting as an agent or
middleman between the shipping lane and the
local armed guard service.
Salamanca is providing advisory services
in a similar manner for an oil rig off the coast of
Benin, working alongside Benin marines and
providing security advice to the master of the rig;
and a number of other companies are offering
similar services.
As the situation in the Horn of Africa stabilises,
it is likely that PMSCs will continue to look
further afield in order to expand their operations
into new regional areas where piracy remains
an issue.
As well as keeping shipping lines safer in
dangerous waters, this will also help widen the
existing customer base to keep more companies
afloat and reduce the impact of oversupply in a
niche market. IMPS
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08/10/2014 17:56
19
09/12/2014 12:58:55
REGIONAL FOCUS
outh Americas main threats continue

to come from non-state actors mostly
criminal groups seeking to profit from
unattended spaces, including human or
weapons trafficking, drug smuggling,
kidnapping, illegal fishing, mining, logging
or fuel siphoning. These groups can quickly
become a destabilising force if not countered
and left to expand their operations.
Maritime law enforcement (MLE) operations
in the region are mostly carried out by naval
forces, although they are also supporting hybrid
coast guard-type organisations that specialise
in such activities, while continuing to use the
training, shipbuilding, maintenance,
communications and logistics infrastructure
of the parent service.
Taking responsibility for MLE operations
provides navies with an additional role
that is seen as important by governments.
This provides the naval service with a platform
that it can use to compete for sources of funding
against the army or air force. This makes a real
difference to what would otherwise be a

seriously underfunded branch of the military.
It is a beneficial co-dependency all around.
RE-ASSESSING CAPABILITIES
An emphasis on security for South Americas
offshore and littoral resources has led regional
navies and coast guards to re-assess their coastal
and maritime surveillance capabilities. With
significant resources and a ten-year
implementation schedule in place that will
involve the local technology and industrial base,
the Brazilian Navys (Marinha do Brasil (MB))
so-called Blue Amazon surveillance and
protection project is likely to become the
regions benchmark.
The Brazilian National Defence Strategy
was published in 2008 and calls for the armed
forces to develop systems under a set of specific
strategic projects that will increase the countrys
land, air, sea, space and cyber capabilities.
Simultaneously, this effort should be
accompanied by an expansion of Brazils
defence industrial base, to effectively link military

and national development requirements.
Each of the armed forces has therefore
established a set of ambitious requirements
for new equipment and technology that are
being catered for through long-term
industrial cooperation.
AMBITIOUS APPROACH
Out of all the services, the MB has launched
the most ambitious set of programmes in its
history. These include the local construction
of nuclear and conventional submarines,
aircraft carriers, amphibious warfare ships,
escort ships (destroyers), frigates, corvettes and
ocean and EEZ patrol vessels. In addition, a large
number of manned and unmanned naval
aviation assets are being acquired.
Some of these programmes have already been
funded, such as the nuclear and conventional
submarines under ProSub and the 500t EEZ
patrol vessels. However, next on the MBs
priorities is the launch of the Blue Amazon
Turning
the tide
An emphasis on securing South
Americas maritime resources has
led regional navies and coast guards
to re-assess their capabilities.
Iigo Guevara explores some
of the efforts under way.
20
IMPS_Winter14_p20-25_South_America.indd 20
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11/12/2014 14:45:05
REGIONAL FOCUS
Management System, known as SisGAAz

(Sistema de Gerenciamento da Amaznia Azul).
SISGAAz intends to provide surveillance
over Brazils coastal waters, which comprise
some 4.5 million square kilometres, including
3.6 million square kilometres of EEZ and 0.9
million square kilometres for the continental
shelf, plus over 21,000km of navigable rivers.
SISGAAz will function as a system of
systems, and is subdivided into two parts: the
Blue Amazon Monitoring System (SisMAAz)
that will allow the MB to provide real-time,
constant surveillance of maritime and river
traffic, integrate data from multiple sources and
pre-empt emergencies or incursions; and the
Blue Amazon Protection and Defence System
(SisPAAz), which allows the navy, through its
surface and subsurface fleet, marine infantry
and aircraft, to respond with force to a threat or
comply with its international SAR responsibilities.
SISGAAz will be integrated with the Naval
Command and Control System (SisNC2), the
Strategic Space Programme, the army-run
Sisfron and the air forces air defence system
called SISDABRA (Sistema de Defesa
Aeroespacial Brasileiro).
SISGAAzs hardware will include a
network of military coastal surveillance
radars, acoustic submarine surveillance
Naiguata (GC-23) is
the third of four
Guaicamacuto-class
patrol ships built for the
Venezuelan Navy by
Navantia in Spain to
its BVL design.
(Photo: Navantia)
www.impsnews.com
With additional surveillance systems

networked together, Chilean Navy
officials in the SHOA service will be
able to exert more control over
coastal areas and monitor natural
disasters. (Photo: SHOA)
systems, surveillance systems placed for the

protection of offshore platforms, ship-borne
systems and satellite-based radars.
FLEXIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
It will also need to be flexible enough to integrate
with existing maritime inter-agency tools,
including AIS, LRIT, vessel traffic systems, SIR
(an integrated radio direction-finder system),
SIMMAP (an active maritime oil asset monitoring
system) and PREPS (a national fishing vessel
tracking programme).
Although specific requirements are still
being revised, the initial study and the first
subcontract projects have already started.
This includes the search for a maritime patrol
medium-altitude long endurance UAV. Under
consideration is Elbits Hermes 900 and IAIs
Heron system, among others. There is also a
requirement for an embarked tactical UAV, and

both the Insitu ScanEagle and Schiebel S-100
have been tested from Brazilian OPVs.
Another programme that will integrate into
SisGAAz is the construction of up to 27 NPa 500
patrol vessels, which displace 500t. To date,
two have been built at Brazilian shipyards in
Fortaleza and five in Rio de Janeiro. These will
provide coastal and EEZ patrol services, law
enforcement, SAR, environmental protection,
protection of traffic routes and surveillance of
offshore oil platforms.
Following the purchase of three 90m-long
modified River-class OPVs in 2011 originally
built by BAE Systems for Trinidad and Tobago
all three are now in service, but this has not led to
its selection as the basis for a larger OPV contract.
Under the navys PROSUPER (Programa de
Obteno de Meios de Superfcie) surface vessel
programme, there are plans for a follow-on
order for five OPVs, but this has been delayed.
Brazilian naval engineering company
EMGEPRON presented a 2,000t OPV design in
September 2014, but no decision by the MB
has been announced.
21
11/12/2014 14:45:09
REGIONAL FOCUS
COTECMARs LPR-40 fast patrol boat has
been successfully exported to Brazil and has
proved its worth on the waters of the Amazon.
(Photo: COTECMAR)
MAKING REQUESTS
The services Strategic Programme Management
Directorate (DGePEM) launched SisGAAzs official
RfP in March 2014, and will receive responses
from interested companies by 19 January 2015.
A total of 13 potential suppliers, all of which
fall under the strategic defence company
classification, have announced they will
participate in the process. These include: Andrade
Gutierrez; Ares; Avibras; CONSUB; Embraer;
Engevix; Iesa; OAS; Odebrecht; Queiroz Galvo;
Shelter Consultoria; Siem Offshore; and Synergy
Defence and Security.
A shortlist of contenders will be published in
early 2015 and a main contractor is scheduled to
be announced in June 2015. Contract signature
is expected to take place in December 2015.
The overall value of SiSGAAz contracts is
expected to reach R$14 billion ($5.6 billion)
spread over a ten-year period from 2016.
The programme is currently running six
months behind schedule, and could be delayed
further given funding constraints, political factors
and evolving capability requirements. However,
the importance of the area it aims to protect
guarantees that it will be implemented in the
short to medium term about 95% of Brazils
foreign trade uses maritime transport routes, and
its EEZ is home to about 80% of its oil, which as of
July 2014 was calculated to comprise an
estimated $430 billion worth of known reserves.
Providing security and protection for the
more than 140 offshore platforms and over
400 support vessels is no easy task.
Furthermore, Brazils SAR area of responsibility
spans 10 million square kilometres of
the southern Atlantic Ocean. When
implemented, SisGAAz will also inspire similar
regional and international coastal and EEZ
maritime surveillance systems.
THE LONGEST COASTLINE
A maritime country by nature, Chiles uneven
and at times broken geography mainly due to
gulfs, straits and canals hides over 83,000km of
coastline in an otherwise 2,800km straight line.
Overall, this means an area of 3.4 million
square kilometres of maritime territory and
17.5 million square kilometres making up its area
of responsibility.
Extreme weather and few population
centres make for some very inhospitable
environments to patrol. Additionally, Chile is the
main promoter of the presential sea concept,
22
which expands a countrys area of responsibility

by 650km beyond and adjacent to the EEZ.
The Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) is tasked
with protecting this complex environment and
deploys a somewhat modest patrol capability:
two Fassmer OPV80 patrol vessels that will soon
be joined by a third ship, which is being prepared
for extreme cold weather operations. The OPV80
fleet may eventually reach six vessels.
EEZ and coastal patrol forces include four
510t Taitao-class, 18 125t Protector-class, and
four 34t Dabur-class vessels, plus a growing
number of over 40 Safe Boats International
Defender and Archangel patrol boats.
The latter are operated by the Direccin General
del Territorio Martimo y de Marina Mercante
(DIRECTEMAR), which is the Chilean Navys
integrated coast guard.
LAST LINE OF DEFENCE
The countrys marine corps is the last line of
coastal defence, deploying mobile artillery
batteries that include the South African G5
155mm howitzer and, until recently, locally
modified versions of the MM38 Exocet anti-ship
missile launcher.
While the main threat to Chiles population
comes from the sea, it is unfortunately not in a
form that can be stopped by an Exocet missile.
Disaster alert systems have formed most of the
navys focus in recent years.
Tsunamis are the main cause of concern for
the navys Hydrographic and Oceanographic
Service (Servicio Hidrogrfico y Oceanogrfico de
la Armada (SHOA)), which since December 2010
has been installing DART II buoys that can warn
the National Tsunami Warning Centre of sea state
changes in real time.
SHOA has also expanded its network of tide
monitoring stations from 17 to 40 since the
February 2010 earthquake and tsunami that

hit Chile. Furthermore, the navys Centre for
Maritime Training and Instruction (Centro de
Instruccin y Capacitacin Martima de la Armada
(CIMAR)) inaugurated a Transas-built Global
Maritime Distress Safety System simulator in
May 2014 that simulates data fusion from radar,
AIS, GPS, RDF, MF, HF and VHF signals.
BEHIND SCHEDULE
The Ecuadorian Navys National Directorate
of Aquatic Spaces (Direccin Nacional de los
Espacios Acuaticos (DIRNEA)), is responsible for
law enforcement within the 1.6 million square
kilometres of Ecuadorian maritime territory.
DIRNEA runs Coast Guard Command
(Comando de Guardacostas (COGUAR)), and
in 2011 launched an $82 million programme
contracted to domestic company Redes
intended to neutralise illicit activities and
provide opportune assistance in emergencies.
It includes: the procurement of ten coast guard
vessels; design and implementation of a coastal
surveillance and monitoring system; and
improving coast guard station infrastructure and
training personnel to operate the systems.
The programme was intended to be
completed by 2014, but funding constraints have
now pushed this back to 2016. The local
production of seven vessels has been completed,
including four 13m-long medium response boats
(BRM) and three Damen Stan 2606 coastal patrol
craft built by the local Astinave shipyard.
Delivery of the last 2606-class boat is expected
in 2015, while production contracts for two Stan
5009 patrol vessels were awarded this year and
are scheduled to be delivered in 2016.
As part of the programme, COGUAR is in the
process of establishing three deputy commands
North, South and Centre plus two naval
Convene; C
The ever changing natu

climate change, or ma
physical or cyber attac
and update policies, pr
growing demands.
The European Union is

infrastructures in relati
Infrastructure Protectio
will enhance, where ne
infrastructures against
Critical Infrastructure P
together leading stake
and governments to de
critical infrastructure.
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11/12/2014 14:45:11
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Infrastructure Protection
4th-5th March 2015
The Hague, Netherlands

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Convene; Converse; Collaborate

The ever changing nature of threats, whether natural through
climate change, or man-made through terrorism activities, either
physical or cyber attacks, means the need to continually review
and update policies, practices and technologies to meet these
growing demands.
The European Union is developing its policy on critical
infrastructures in relation to the European Programme for Critical
Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) which considers measures that
will enhance, where necessary, the level of protection of certain
infrastructures against external threats.
Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Europe brings
together leading stakeholders from industry, operators, agencies
and governments to debate and collaborate on securing Europes
critical infrastructure.
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Opening Keynote Presenters:

- Mr Opstelten, Minister of Security & Justice,
The Netherlands
- Mr Fernando Snchez, Director General,
National Centre for Critical Infrastructure
Protection (CNPIC), Spain
Speakers include:
- Wilma van Dijk, Director of Cyber Security, NCTV,
Ministry of Security & Justice, Netherlands
- Benny Jansson, Deputy Head Strategic
Analysis Section, Swedish Civil Contingencies
- Evangelos Ouzounis, Head of Unit Secure
Infrastructure and Services, European Union Agency
for Network and Information Security ENISA
- Jakub Boratyski, Head of Unit, Trust & Security, DG
CONNECT, European Commission
- Mauro Facchini, Head of Copernicus Services
Unit, DG Enterprise and Industry, European
Commission
- Andrew Wright, Head of Industrial Resources
and Communications Services Group (IRCSG),
NATO Operations Division
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20/10/2014 14:45:12
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11/12/2014
REGIONAL FOCUS
stations. As of October 2014, only two (North

and South) were in operation.
The coastal surveillance and monitoring
system will be comprised of nine coastal
radar sites reporting to four regional centres
in Esmeraldas, Manab, Santa Elena and
Puerto Bolvar.
Each site will be equipped with radar with
a minimum range of 55km and an optronic
surveillance system. In July 2014, the navy called
for proposals from industry for a coastal defence
network, indicating that the radar has yet to be
selected. The nine sites will feed into the new
National Surveillance System established inside
the COGUARs Command Operations Centre.
COLOMBIAS COMPLEXITY
Unique in South America, the Colombian Navy
(Armada Nacional de la Repblica de Colombia)
and its integrated coast guard face the challenge
of operating in two oceans under very different
operating environments. Additionally, it must
protect the waters around the San Andrs
archipelago in the Caribbean.
These waters are now demanding increased
patrols. In November 2012, the International
Court of Justice ruled in favour of Nicaraguas
claim for a 370km EEZ, putting the waters
surrounding the Colombian archipelago in
Nicaraguas possession. This led to significant
tension with the latter country, which is incapable
of enforcing its disputed EEZ with Colombia.
Another source of tension is instability in
neighbouring Venezuela, which requires
constant monitoring by the Colombian Navy
and coast guard.
The service plans to establish a coastal

surveillance system to detect illegal vessels, such
as the high-speed boats and long-range semisubmersibles used to smuggle drugs out of
Colombia, as well as fishing trawlers that act as
floating gas stations for these vessels.
Illegal vessels are also used to supply FARC
guerrillas with supplies and weapons on the
Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and at times move
along the extensive and complex river systems
deep into Colombias jungles.
The navy needs a vast coastal surveillance and
defence capability consisting of a four-layered
river, coastal, EEZ and ocean surveillance and
patrol system made up of coastal surveillance
radars, patrol craft and vessels, manned and
unmanned naval aviation assets and coastal
defence platforms.
COASTAL RADARS
In 2012, the Colombian MoD announced the
launch of a programme to procure a network of
11 coastal radars. There was interest in the Thales
CoastWatcher 100, but no announcement on the
selected type has been made.
These will complement the existing Traffic
Control and Maritime Surveillance Integrated
System (Sistema Integrado de Control de Trfico
y Vigilancia Martima (SICTVM)), which was
originally launched in 1996.
In March 2014, the navy launched an RfP
to establish four new SICTVM sites linked to
one regional command centre for the
Caribbean region, situated in Cartagena de
Indias. Bidders for the sites include: local
company Andcom, which is partnered with Saab
One of the three 90m patrol
vessels delivered to Brazil by BAE
Systems. The ships were
originally destined for Trinidad
and Tobago, but were not
accepted. (Photo: BAE Systems)
and Transas; South Koreas LIG Nex1; Chiles

SISDEF; and Spains Indra.
Colombias navy-run shipyard COTECMAR
has embarked upon a long-term production
schedule that will see up to six 1,723t Fassmer
OPV80 vessels built locally where they will be
known as the ARC 20 de Julio class.
The OPVs are equipped with the lighter
Wrtsil 6L26 engine instead of the 12 L 26,
as it provides sufficient power for Colombias
Caribbean environment. The second of the class,
ARC 7 de Agosto, was commissioned in March
2014, and a third is under construction.
NEXT TIER
The next tier in patrol capabilities will be led by
the 283t COTECMAR CPV-46 vessel, with the
initial three examples built at STX Offshore &
Shipbuilding yards in South Korea.
The first pair of CPV-46s was launched on
31 July 2014 at STX. A further 11 will be built by
COTECMAR by 2019. These join the sole 285t
Fassmer CPV-40 ARC 11 de Noviembre that was
delivered in 2011.
COTECMAR has experience in developing
and building river patrol craft, with the 373t PAF
series of heavily armoured helicopter-capable
river gunboats, the lighter PAF-L version and the
LPR-40 river patrol craft.
An LPR-40 can be transported inside a C-130
Hercules, a capability that makes it extremely
attractive for a navy conducting dual-ocean
operations. The boat has also become the first
Colombian-designed system to be exported
to Brazil, which ordered four in late 2012, two
each for its army and marine corps Amazon
River forces.
Further exports within the region are likely, as
Colombian officials have been engaging with
Caribbean and Central American counterparts
to promote domestically built vessels.
COTECMAR has also developed the Type B
interceptor craft that can reach and sustain
speeds of up to 45kt while Cartagena-based
Eduardoo has developed the Patrullero 380.
Orders have yet to be announced, but are likely
as the Colombian Navy is an operator of many
fast patrol and interceptor craft, including the
Defender, Apostle 380, Midnight Express and
Eduardoo Type B
PREPARING TO GROW
The Uruguayan Navy established a network of
coastal radars in the 1980s along the River Plate,
24
www.impsnews.com
11/12/2014 14:45:14
REGIONAL FOCUS
UAS are becoming an essential component of

any maritime surveillance system, particularly
in South America, where there is a huge
expanse of littoral territory. (Photo: Schiebel)
allowing surveillance and control of maritime

traffic. By the mid-2000s, the network was
inoperable and the Uruguayan government
announced in 2011 it had no control over
the area.
The navy began replacement studies in 2012,
with several companies offering integrated
surveillance systems, including CETC, Elbit
Systems, IAI, Indra Sistemas, Selex ES and Thales.
The requirement is for up to 14 coastal radars,
AIS, long-range day/night surveillance systems,
satellite communications, integrated C2 centres
and flexible financing options. As of late

September 2014, the navy was continuing to
evaluate its coastal surveillance options.
The services priority remains procurement
of three helicopter-capable ocean patrol vessels.
These are regarded as essential for patrolling
Uruguays expanded maritime jurisdiction to
650km, particularly if deep-water surveys for
hydrocarbon resources in the area yield results.
INCREASING CAPABILITIES
Elsewhere, the Venezuelan armed forces
announced interest in the Russian Bal-E coastal
missile system, which is capable of engaging
targets at up to 120km, in 2011. It is to be
deployed by a joint marine and army coastal
defence command, reporting to the Armed
Forces Strategic Operations Command. As of
October 2014, confirmation was still awaited as to
whether an order had been placed.
Venezuela has been significantly increasing its
EEZ and coastal patrol capabilities since 2013,
placing orders for six Damen Stan Patrol 5009
OPVs, plus six Stan Patrol 4207, three Stan Patrol

2606 and 18 DI1102 interceptor craft through a
tripartite Dutch-Cuban-Venezuelan agreement in
which most of these vessels are built at Damens
subsidiary Damex shipyards in Cuba and
UCOCAR in Venezuela.
These 33 new vessels and craft will join
a relatively modern fleet of four 1,400t
Guaicamacuto-class OPVs and 12 Gavion-class
patrol craft operated by the Bolivarian Navys
Coast Guard Command. This modernisation is
at the expense of its blue-water fleet, which is
largely confined to port and in need of upgrades.
Venezuelas last coast watch tier is the
Bolivarian National Guards Coastal Surveillance
Command, which floats some 58 minor craft, but
is able to deploy significant personnel on land
along the coast.
Given Venezuelas need to enhance
surveillance and control of its resource-rich
national waters, a comprehensive coastal
surveillance and resource management system
requirement is likely to emerge soon. IMPS
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25
11/12/2014 14:45:15
ANTI-BOARDING
A wide variety of anti-boarding devices and

measures are available to ship owners to help
prevent or lower the risk of potential pirate
attacks. Mike Bryant examines which have
been the most effective.
26
IMPS_Winter14_p26-32_Anti-boarding.indd 26
www.impsnews.com
09/12/2014 13:02:38
ANTI-BOARDING
Calling
it
off
T
P-trap undergoing operational

testing on the Dockwise vessel
Mighty Servant. (Photo: Westmark)
www.impsnews.com
he rise of maritime piracy in the

mid-2000s initially led to a rush of
countermeasures such as armed guards
and convoy systems. The IMO also provided
guidance in the form of Best Management
Practices for Protection against Somalia Based
Piracy (BMP), while NATO warships increased
the scope of their patrols.
In the private sector, there were also moves to
introduce a wide range of ship-based protection
solutions. These have taken the form of passive
and active non-lethal equipment, as well as
potentially lethal protection using armed
security teams.
Most ship owners and operators sailing in
high-risk waters have adopted an escalating
posture in the face of a pirate threat. They prefer
to deploy cheaper, non-lethal systems over
resorting to lethal force although demand
for armed security teams is growing.
LAYERED TACTICS
For those that can afford it, a layered approach
that allows for an escalating series of responses is
the preferred option. Early detection of a threat
comes first using sophisticated onboard radar
systems and 24-hour watches.
Avoidance is the next response, achieved
by increasing speed and manoeuvres, but if
that fails then a ships master can resort to
discouragement or deterrence and any active
anti-boarding systems available to him.
It is here that much of the newly developed
anti-piracy technology comes into play. An
armed security team could also be employed to
provide an obvious deterrent, before resorting
to the use of weapons.
Finally, if these countermeasures fail to deter
or defeat the pirate attack, the ships crew can
retreat to a secure part of the ship, sometimes
in the form of a dedicated facility known as a
citadel, equipped with provisions, radios and a
compass, as well as ideally the means to
disable the engines of the ship. Help can then
be called and the position of the vessel given to
the rescuer.
BARRIER SYSTEMS
Perhaps the clearest signal to any pirate that
he is facing anything other than an unprepared
potential target is the display of obvious
defensive measures on the ships deck or
rails, such as fences and barbed wire.
While this is useful, more effective solutions
like razor wire are not popular with crews, as it
reduces space and is difficult even dangerous
to install and remove. Electrified wire fences face
a similar problem.
One simpler barrier defence option available is
Guardian, a protective infrastructure developed
by UK-based Guardian Maritime. It comprises a
highly visible, BMP 4-compliant robust barrier
that is hard to climb and difficult for roofing
ladders to get purchase on. The system is
designed to be relatively quick and safe to install
and comes in 1m-wide sections that lock
together and clamp onto the ships safety rail.
Expected to last for five years, it is also
interchangeable between vessels.
Guardian helped repel an attack on the
vessel Africa Four off the coast of West Africa in
May 2013. Pirates attempted to board the ship
for almost two hours before withdrawing. Teresa
Stevens, owner and designer at Guardian
Maritime, told IMPS that the system has been
27
09/12/2014 13:02:40
ANTI-BOARDING
Buccaneer can fire a variety of projectiles,

such as smoke canisters or vesseldisabling entanglement lines up to a
range of 200m. (Photo: BCB International)
sold to several of the worlds largest shipping

companies and is now also being fitted to a
number of offshore drill ships and rigs.
OUTSIDE THINKING
However, wire fences can cause problems,
as some stevedores refuse to handle a ship
festooned with razor wire, and a number of port
authorities can even refuse entry to a vessel.
One way round this is to offer a capability to
launch razor wire away from the ship. The antiboarding devices (ABDs) sold by South Africabased Vessel Protection Systems (VPS), for
example, deploy razor wire from canisters that
are fitted to the outside of a ships rail or bulwark.
Launched either by a centralised air system or
a runner, the canisters fire 20m of razor wire aft so
pirates will have to navigate their way through
the parallel diagonal moving wire barriers to
gain access.
The system was selected by oil giant Petronas
to help in the defence of its tankers. However, VPS
director John Beadon admitted that demand has
fallen this year due to the deployment of armed
guards by more shipping companies in recent
months, and with such teams on board, there is
little need for ABDs or similar technologies.
Other target market areas include static
maritime installations, such as oil rigs. As such,
VPS also offers a modified ABD that can provide a
curtain-like defence of razor wire for a nonmoving potential target.
Meanwhile, the Pirate-trap (P-trap), developed
by Dutch company Westmark, is designed to
disable an adversarys fast attack boats. It consists
of two metal swivel booms sited on both sides of
a vessels bow, plus another boom at the rear.
Attached to the booms are multiple floating
wires that create a safety zone around the ship by
trapping the propeller of any attacking boat. Any
wire that catches a propeller breaks, becomes
entangled in the prop, terminating the pirates
approach to the threatened platform.
The system requires no active crew
involvement during the period of danger
it is non-lethal and offers protection in all
weather conditions.
Westmark is part of an industrial group
called the Maritime Security Alliance that
offers counter-piracy solutions. General manager
Michiel Hijmans told IMPS: P-trap enables
captains to keep their maximum speed and not
lose up to 25% of their own vessel speed as a
result of heavy manoeuvring.
28
Its ability to deliver loud and intelligible comms

at ranges of up to 3,000m has been key to
LRADs success in the market. (Photo: LRAD)
This means that the master does not

have to focus on changes of course, but rather
concentrate his efforts on getting his crew to
mustering stations for evacuation to a citadel area.
TRAP TRIALS
Dockwise, another Dutch company, specialises in
moving outsize and heavy cargo by sea, and has
installed P-trap on some of its ships. The system
has been tested successfully in the North Sea with
the assistance of the Royal Netherlands Navy and
Coastguard, and there are several assessments
taking place in riskier waters off the coast of
Nigeria involving Dutch fishing vessels equipped
with multiple protection systems, including P-trap.
Another member of the Maritime Security
Alliance is Danish company Vestergaard Marine
Service (VMS). Sales manager Per Lyngholm said
that VMS can provide an onboard assessment to
find out what is needed to secure a ship, and then
work with partners in the alliance to provide
appropriate systems and equipment. The
collaborative approach taken here certainly has
potential benefits to cooperating suppliers and

prospective customers.
Elsewhere, BCB International offers a different
type of non-lethal system, the Buccaneer, which
can launch a variety of projectiles, such as
floating smoke canisters, as well as vesseldisabling buoyant entanglement lines up to a
range of 200m across the path of a suspicious
approaching boat.
Each Buccaneer unit fires a canister containing
a floating Dyneema or Spectra line (strong
lightweight fibres), which are attached to a sea
anchor at each end. The lines will tangle with
the cavitation plate of any outboard or inboard
motor and the sea anchors will inflate, creating
sufficient drag to slow the target vessel to a stop
in a matter of seconds.
These systems provide a multi-layered
defence and achieve the same results as an
armed response for a fraction of the cost, a BCB
spokesperson said.
Over the past six months, the firm has seen a
surge in interest in Buccaneer, particularly from
coastguards, navies and other maritime law
enforcement agencies, a number of which
already have the equipment in service.
WATER CANNONS
One of the non-lethal anti-piracy countermeasure
methods borrowed from land-based anti-riot
control, the water cannon, is used to fire volumes
of liquid at an attacking skiff. When perched over
a ships railing, the systems allow an operator to
aim a powerful and large volume of seawater at
any attacking skiff.
Swedish company Unifire has developed one
such product, controlled remotely from the safety
of a ships bridge or citadel by joystick, radio
remote control, computer or bridge command
unit. It can also be networked with other
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09/12/2014 13:02:41
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ANTI-BOARDING
Unifires robotic nozzle can be

controlled remotely from the
safety of a ships bridge and/or
citadel. (Photo: Unifire)
onboard sensors such as radars or video tracking

systems.
Roger James, director of international sales at
Unifire, told IMPS that although the market is
small, there is steady demand for its robotic
nozzle water cannon from operators of luxury
yachts, dry cargo ships, liquid cargo ships, naval
vessels and even unmanned surface vehicles.
We are working hard to change that, as the
possibilities are truly much more effective and
interesting than they were just several years ago,
he insisted.
Another Swedish company, Scanjet Marine,
also offers water cannon products. Sales
director Bjrn Lundgren said that shipping
giants Maersk Tankers and NYK Line are users
of its SC 360APR marine protection system,
which works autonomously once it is put into
operation. The units nozzle rotates at an
adjustable speed of 3-6rpm through 360,
although a block prevents the pressurised
water being projected upwards.
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LASER DAZZLERS
Laser dazzle sights have been in use since the
1980s and were considered as protection against
attacks from fast launches in the dangerous
Straits of Hormuz. They were also used during
the 1982 Falklands War.
These weapons are designed to make
attackers look away from their target or face the
very real danger of suffering eye damage. In the
military arena, countermeasures in the form of
goggles or glasses fitted with filters can easily
nullify the systems effectiveness, but pirates do
not usually have access to such equipment.
There has been some controversy about
the legality of such weapons because blinding
devices are prohibited by international protocol.
www.impsnews.com
24/01/2014 10:18:10
However, those that dazzle or cause temporary

blindness appear to fall outside its scope.
A Boeing spokesperson told IMPS that the
company has demonstrated the effectiveness of
one of its beam control systems to acquire, track
and point a laser to disable myriad targets such
as UAVs, small boats, rockets, artillery and mortars
in various tactical environments, including
anti-piracy scenarios.
Boeings Mk 38 Tactical Laser System (TLS),
designed for the USN, aims to bring a highly
accurate force protection capability to both
combatant and non-combatant ships. The
intention here is not to dazzle, but disable or
destroy target vehicles.
ACOUSTIC SET
Acoustic hailers represent another strand of antipiracy capability. US company LRAD Corp offers a
range of directional acoustic hailers designed for
long-range communication and emitting
powerful warning tones.
The genesis of the Long Range Acoustic Device
(LRAD) began following the suicide attack on the
USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in October 2000.

Young sailors manning guns on the deck of
the US destroyer did not realise or react to
the threat posed by a small boat approaching
at high speed until too late, and 17 seamen lost
their lives.
For the USN, it represents an anti-terrorist
tool, but it has also been sold for installation
on merchant and cruise ships, where it can form
part of a layered anti-piracy protective package.
The system allows communication with
vessels at a range of up to 3,000m, and messages
in the local languages which might potentially be
encountered during a ships voyage can also be
pre-recorded and then replayed during the
sailing as required. To be effective at that range,
a hailer must provide both loud and intelligible
communication a difficult combination.
Furthermore, at short ranges the systems
works as a non-lethal, non-kinetic deterrent. With
a focused beam of sound that is attuned to the
wavelengths most perceptible to the human ear,
the noise of an LRAD will be an extreme irritant
and can drive away approaching fast boats.
Looking forward, LRAD Corp is aiming to
get further into the commercial market as well
as develop units that are smaller, lighter and
louder.
RAMPING UP THE STAKES
However, many ship owners and operators have
turned to carrying armed guards on their vessels
during dangerous trips.
Such measures were once seen only as a
last resort, but the threat from pirates in waters
such as those off the Horn of Africa became so
pervasive that objections to potentially using
lethal force to defend a ship and its crew lost
much of their weight.
Westmark has assessed

acoustic devices for their
counter-piracy potential.
(Photo: Westmark)
31
09/12/2014 13:02:46
ANTI-BOARDING
Security firms in the West seized the

opportunity, offering former special forces
operatives, marines and other ex-soldiers as an
onboard seagoing defence force.
Strategic Protection, a London-based security
company with another office in Singapore,
specialises in both land and maritime operations
and offers teams of ex-military personnel to
defend vessels.
It will not supply teams of less than three
(some other firms do), believing that this is the
minimum number able to offer an effective
deterrent and provide a 24-hour presence on the
bridge to reassure a ships master.
Strategic Protection director Julian
Carmichael told IMPS that all its team
members have extensive military operational
experience, whether they are ex-British
forces personnel or Gurkhas. All are vetted
and crime-free, and each team is selected
according to the customers needs and the
vessels specific transit.
Carmichael insists that Strategic Protections
armed teams will only resort to using lethal force
when absolutely necessary. When faced with
a potentially dangerous threat, it has proven
sufficient for the armed team to be merely seen
on deck with their weapons.
Otherwise, the team can escalate their
protective actions as the threat requires, possibly
using flares, water hoses or warning shots before
lethal force is considered.
Carmichael points out that having armed
guards on board will mean the host vessel does
not have to race through dangerous areas, or
circumvent them altogether, thus saving on
fuel costs.
EXPERIENCE COSTS
Nevertheless, the use of Western veterans is not
cheap, and as a result many other countries have
also begun offering more competitively priced
former navy sailors or marines as armed guards
for ships seeking to cross troubled waters.
However, opinions differ as to their quality.
Moreover, while they may well be sufficiently
capable of protecting the ship, some of the
lesser-trained guards are suspected of shooting
first and asking questions later.
Lives can be lost if trigger-happy guards are
prepared to open fire without too much thought.
This is a problem because identification is not
always easy pirates can be difficult to
distinguish from fishermen.
32
Guardian is a highly
visible deterrent to
would-be boarders. It
comes in 1m-wide
sections that clamp
onto a ships safety rail
and interlock. (Photo:
Guardian Maritime)
Many fishermen off the coast of Somalia or

Djibouti, for example, will carry a Kalashnikov for
self-defence in waters infested with pirates and
armed robbers. They also like to sail in the wakes
of merchant ships because this stirs up food for
fish, but this puts them in closer proximity.
A preferable option for many captains is to
take on board marines provided by their own
government. Requests for such protection are
frequently made to the Dutch Ministry of
Defence, for example.
However, taking soldiers or marines on board
to provide armed security can also go wrong. In
February 2012, Italian marines aboard the oil
tanker Enrica Lexie sailing off Kerala, southern
India, were alleged to have opened fire on a local
fishing boat they took to be a pirate vessel, killing
two innocent crew members. Those two marines
remain in India awaiting trial today.
SELF-PROTECTION TRAINING
If a ship operator does not want, cannot afford or
does not have the space for a separate armed
security team, another alternative is to train crews
in anti-piracy measures.
Hugh Stanfield, VP and general manager at
US-based International Maritime Security
Network (IMSN), said: Our anti-piracy training is

unique in that it is based on real-world training
and experiences.
He explained that it is put together by a
team of vessel operators, experienced crew
and security professionals that regularly
operate in this domain, and the training
programme is designed to tailor crews drills
to their specific ship.
That training can form part of a comprehensive
package offered by IMSN, called Triton Shield.
Its components incorporate the proper training
of the crew on board ship, a wall of water
countermeasure systems that make use of
existing fire-fighting devices on the vessel,
a strategically designed fortification for the
protection of the crew and well-placed CCTV
to enhance the detection of threats, and access
to professional security personnel.
The object of our system is to detect the
threat in enough time that the crew can call for
emergency support and at the same time get
to an area where they are safe, Stanfield said.
Triton Shield has been introduced on several
ships for evaluation, but has not yet been tested
under fire.
FORWARD FOCUS
I believe the industry is moving away from costly
security teams and searching for a cost-effective,
non-lethal way to safely prevent piracy in highrisk waters, Stanfield added. Low-maintenance,
cost-efficient, reliable systems will be the future of
anti-piracy protection.
Attacks on merchant and fishing vessels
are becoming more common, and now there
appears to be a lull off the Horn of Africa the
problem is growing off the coast of West Africa
in the Gulf of Guinea, which is a different type of
threat to that faced in the east.
But it is getting more difficult for pirates there
is more competition amongst them to attack
vessels, ships are individually better protected
now and naval support is much closer to hand.
Any ship threatened in waters patrolled by naval
vessels on anti-piracy patrol can expect to receive
help within a day or two.
In future, the more expensive vessels will be
designed to make a successful attack at sea
extremely difficult, and for smaller vessels,
non-lethal, smart defence systems will be the
preferred option. However, the methods of the
attackers will also evolve the challenge is to stay
one step ahead of them. IMPS
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09/12/2014 13:02:47
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FAST INTERCEPTOR CRAFT
ast interceptor craft (FIC) are set to

increase their role in the maritime security
domain as the threat from terrorists and
criminals equipped with their own high-speed
assets grows.
The value of these potent, niche boats is
becoming increasingly significant in protecting
offshore assets, conducting anti-smuggling and
-poaching missions and other fast-response
applications, where the perpetrators themselves
can often rely on rapid craft to evade security
forces. They also represent an effective way of
countering any state adversary who uses
high-speed craft to project offensive capability.
As a solution to meeting both policing
and defensive roles required of security and
paramilitary forces, FIC have become a valuable
asset in dealing with the threat scenarios present
in littoral waters.
FIC will not have the endurance of patrol craft,

nor the sophisticated systems often fitted to
special operations craft (SOC) but, in terms of
speed, there is an increasing overlap between
top-end patrol boats and the two types. Indeed,
FIC and SOC will often utilise similar hull shapes.
SUBJECTIVE DEFINITIONS
Purists might suggest that FIC are generally
defined as craft with the ability to operate at
over 50kt in benign seas a capability that
almost certainly requires surface-piercing
propellers, either driven through inboard
powered shafts or interchangeable outboards.
However, designers like BMT Nigel Gee
categorise FIC in a slightly lower speed bracket of
over 40kt. Project manager Steve Lee admits that
it is a subjective thing. He told IMPS: FIC and SOC
tend to overlap because SOC do fast interception
work as well as other roles. Nowadays, users want

multirole capability and flexibility. Its difficult to
categorise a boat purely as a fast interceptor alone.
Meanwhile, Christian Le Mire, a naval
analyst at the International Institute for Strategic
Studies, explained: The reason they are called fast
interceptor craft is really a function-based rather
than capability-based description. Rather than
patrol an area, their task is to make discreet and
clear interceptions or interdictions of craft that
have been identified already.
While SOC tend to be equipped with
advanced sensors and communications suites
as well as remote-controlled stabilised weapon
systems essential to fire effectively at high
speeds John Bonafoux, managing director at
BMT Nigel Gee, told IMPS that his company
has also seen an increasing requirement for FIC
to be armed as well.
As a result of adversaries becoming more agile and rapid on the seas,

there is now greater demand for effective fast interceptor craft to
help suppress this threat. Phil Rood evaluates the market.
The need for
speed
Damen has built its 1102 FIC in
various configurations for
governments worldwide.
(Photo: Damen)
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IMPS_Winter14_p35-39_FICs.indd 35
35
11/12/2014 14:46:12
FIC that are focused on the interdiction of

criminals can simply use a strong bow guard
to ram the stern of a small boat and rip out
its outboard propulsion. However, Bonafoux
believes FIC requirements are trending towards
installing a gun that can be up to 25mm or
30mm, and this reflects a widening of the FIC role
to carry out work such as fleet protection,
prompted by incidents like the attack on the USS
Cole, which was damaged by a small boat packed
with explosives in Aden, Yemen, in 2000.
INFLUENCE LEVELS
Tim Chalfant, chief naval architect at Floridabased Tampa Yacht, agreed that the projected
growth of the maritime terrorist threat will further
influence FIC specifications.
Modern maritime security threats come in
the form of inshore littoral threats, spawned by
an armada of small, fast and extremely agile craft
manned by terrorists and military insurgents
intent on total annihilation, themselves included,
he said. To best combat these asymmetric
threats, modern naval forces need a more agile
and powerful anti-threat asset than the attackers.
While speed remains the major asset of the

FIC, there is a trade-off. As materials technology
makes boats more robust, with structures able to
withstand speeds up to 70kt, the human factor
has become the biggest challenge.
Speed means that comfort and safety have
to be sacrificed, explained Gunther Migeotte,
executive director of South Africa-based Icarus
Marine. Major research and development is
now under way to improve comfort and prevent
injuries by improving the sea-keeping and
crew comfort.
According to Migeotte, his company is focused
on developing composite materials, including
hulls with membrane-type outer shells that flex
in waves and reduce slamming, while also
offering reduced weight.
He said there is also research into
hydrofoil-supported catamarans which utilise
hydrofoils between the hulls. They are up to
40% faster than monohulls, with improved
crew comfort levels (less slamming) and,
although hundreds have been built for other
applications, their use as a hull form for FIC
represents a new development.
Chalfant added that the emphasis on

better ergonomic engineering is being driven
by EU directives. We are looking at what is
really effective for the support and health
of passengers, he said. There is a lot of
experimentation on both sides of the Atlantic.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
BMT Nigel Gee is taking a holistic approach,
embracing elements such as hull form,
suspended decks, shock-mitigating seats,
deck coverings and ride control to reduce the
human impact of high-speed craft. Lee said that
with stronger hull materials, the limitations on
the boat are often because of damage to people
rather than the craft.
A further issue raised by Bonafoux is that
there is too much emphasis on calm-water
performance and not enough understanding
of capability in a seaway.
If the precise data isnt available and Shipyard
A says my boat has good seakeeping and does
60kt while Shipyard B says my boat has excellent
seakeeping but only does 55kt, then the user will
often pick Shipyard A, he said. Users need to be
Turkish shipyard Ares and naval architects

BMT Nigel Gee are working on an order for
Qatars Coasts and Borders Security
department that includes Hercules 23m
interceptors. (Image: BMT Nigel Gee)
36
www.impsnews.com
11/12/2014 14:46:12
prepared to accept a lower calm-water speed or

pay more to power the better hull form.
Currently, FIC are particularly utilised and
highly regarded by navies and police forces in
the Gulf and Asia-Pacific, while also assuming
growing popularity with similar authorities in
India and some African nations.
Significant fleets are already in use in the
Gulf, where it is estimated that the current
demand for FIC extends up to 200 new craft,
with countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and the UAE at varying stages of
the procurement process.
Oman recently issued an RfP to supply 40ft
craft for its police force, with up to 13 companies
including Damen (Netherlands), Yonca Onuk
(Turkey), Rodman (Spain), Lung Teh (Taiwan),
Griffon Cougar (UK) and Marine Alutec (Finland)
all believed to be in the running. Among the
latest prospective customers in the Asia-Pacific
region is the Hong Kong Police Force, which
wants to supplement its existing fleet of five
Cougartek boats with new 50ft craft.
INCREASING COMPETITION
While the market is growing, established
builders in Europe and the US are facing
increased competition as former export
customers look to form their own indigenous
capability, either intrinsically or in joint ventures
with established builders and designers.
Icarus Marine has recently designed an FIC
for the Saudi Arabian military and the Malaysian
Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). The
Saudi boats were built locally by Era Industries
and the contract included helping set up local
production, while the Malaysian boats were
domestically built by Destination Marine Services.
Another example of a successful JV approach
is BYO Marine, which was established in 2009 and
is a joint venture between Malaysian-based
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Defence
Technologies and Turkeys Yonca Onuk.
The MMEA is responsible for maintaining
law and order and performing SAR operations
within the Malaysian maritime zone. It operates
ten high-speed, advanced composite
intervention boats of the Onuk MRTP16
type built by BYO Marine.
Based on the Onuk MRTP15 used by the
Turkish Coast Guard, the design has benefited
from a range of improvements. With an
improved deep V hull, it has a multirole tactical
platform (MRTP), offering better seakeeping,
www.impsnews.com
Dockstavarvets IC16m craft is

based on its CB 90 H concept
and is in use with several
military and policing authorities.
(Photo: Dockstavarvet)
manoeuvrability and increased robustness, while

ensuring that its passengers stay dry.
Over 70 MRTP16s are currently in service,
including with the Turkish customs and Ministry
of Health. The boat can reach a speed of 70kt in
calm waters and above 45kt in Sea State 3.
UAE INTERCEPTORS
In addition, Yonca Onuk has worked with Abu
Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) to deliver a total of
34 interceptors, which are also based on the
MRTP16 design and use lightweight/highstrength sandwich composites based on DIAB
cores. They are in use by the Critical Infrastructure
and Coastal Protection Authority for a variety
of tasks in the UAE maritime zone, including
fisheries and asset protection, coastguard duties,
SAR, pollution control and customs operations.
The first 12 examples were built by Yonca
Onuk at its shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, and the
remaining 22 under a transfer of technology
agreement by ADSB.
Other European shipyards also recognise that
their chances of winning orders will be enhanced
by a local presence that brings economic offset
benefits to the region.
Damen Shipyards, for example, has
completed a new yard in the Hamriyah Free
Zone of the emirate of Sharjah in the UAE. The
main activities of the yard are shipbuilding and
repair as well as acting as Damens services hub
for the region. Based on a 284,000m site, the
facility has construction sheds of 4,500m and

workshops covering 7,500m for the various
disciplines involved.
This is an added selling point for Damen as the
Dutch company markets its various interceptors
that range from the container-transportable
55kt+ 1102 version up to a fully fledged 26m
high-speed chase vessel.
The past five years have seen the company
build the 1102 FIC for various governments in
Africa and South America, and as daughter craft
installed on the larger Damen patrol boats it has
built for governments in the Middle East and
South America as well as on commercial antipiracy vessels in Africa.
The company is also finalising the design
of the composite Interceptor 1503 (15m) as the
successor to the aluminium Cougartek 1500
interceptors in service with the Hong Kong
Police Force.
Another ultra-high speed craft builder
establishing a Gulf presence is South Africa-based
KND Patrol and Shipbuilding. To facilitate access
to this market, it has invested in a new shipyard in
the UAE that will manufacture vessels from
10-35m in length.
MEETING DEMAND
Like Abu Dhabi, Oman has set up its own
specialist fast craft builder with Sapphire Marine,
a locally owned company formed in 2008 to
satisfy the growing demand for quality
37
11/12/2014 14:46:14
South Africas Icarus Marine teamed

with a Malaysian yard to build an FIC
for the MMEA. (Photo: Icarus Marine)
yachts and boats throughout the region. Based in

the Salalah Free Zone, Sapphire offers fast craft
up to 19m, with the bigger boats utilising a hull
design based on delta conic lines with a deep V
that is claimed to give the platform better
capabilities in extreme weather conditions.
However, Tampa Yacht has demonstrated that
a Gulf industrial presence is not a prerequisite to
supplying craft to the region. The Florida-based
company is building 44ft composite high-speed
interceptors for a Gulf customer. The
manufacturers Tempest 44-FCI is customisable
with enhancements that can include a 360 pan
and tilt IR night vision camera, machine gun
mounts and NIJ-3 and 3A level ballistic protection.
Similarly, Turkeys Ares Shipyard, located in the
countrys coastal Antalya province, is working in
conjunction with BMT Nigel Gee to build 17
high-speed craft for Qatars Coasts and Borders
Security department, although only the five
23m Ares 75 Hercules boats can be described
as boasting FIC capability.
In the Asia-Pacific region, tensions between
Taiwan and China have resulted in the Republic
of China Army taking delivery of 13.5m, 56kt FIC
built by domestic yard Lung Teh.
INDIAN INTERCEPTORS
Several Indian shipyards have pursued the
partnering route to develop their products for
the countrys navy, police and coast guard.
Following the Mumbai terror attack in 2011, the
government has become focused on upgrading
its coastal security, and orders for interception
38
boats have been on the rise, although not all of

these probably fit the recognised higher speed
definition of interceptors.
Sri Lanka-based Solas Marine Lanka is
delivering 80 fast boats to the Indian Navy
with speeds of 40-50kt, essentially filling the
gap between patrolling off the coast and
conducting interception.
The service also has 15 interceptors built by
French shipyard Chantier Naval Couach, located
in Southwest France and prominent in both the
military/commercial and leisure sectors. These
are powered by a pair of MAN diesels, each of
which produces 800hp. Designed to be operated
by a crew of four, the boats are equipped with
a single 12.7mm gun and constructed with
advanced composites that incorporate Kevlar
and carbon fibre to produce a lightweight and
strong hull.
Other additions to Indian border and naval
forces include indigenous builds by Larsen &
Toubro of 18 high-speed interceptors for the
coast guard, following an earlier contract for 36
There is plenty of evidence

of pirates and smugglers
strapping up to eight
outboards to a basic hull.
similar vessels, powered by Marine Jet Power

water jets. The agency also has 11 26m-long
interceptors sold as semi-knocked-down units
or kit sets through Australian-based project
managers Thornycroft Maritime and assembled
by ABG Shipyard in India.
Despite the competition, Europe continues
to be the centre of fast craft manufacturing,
with design houses like Cougar and Fabio Buzzi
using their world-renowned racing boat-derived
technology as the basis for military projects.
UK-based Griffon, better known for hovercraft,
now has the Cougar stable of designs under
its umbrella, with prospective customers in the
Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Cougar was formerly
teamed with VT-Halmatic to produce the
Enforcer. Powered by twin inboard diesels or
twin/triple outboards, Enforcer 33, 40 or 46
models can reach speeds over 60kt due to their
light composite V planing hulls. The Enforcer 33 is
proven in service with the Royal Oman Police
Coast Guard
ITALIAN INDUSTRY
Italian company FB Design, with a heritage
that includes 48 speed records in different
categories, has FIC in service with several navies
and coastguards, including the Hellenic Coast
Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, the
Kuwaiti Coast Guard and the Iranian Islamic
Revolutionary Guard. Craft capable of more than
60kt have also been produced for the Guardia di
Finanza in Italy, and the police and customs
services of Hong Kong.
Other notable Italian producers of FIC include
Intermarine, whose 70kt V6000 composite
boats are operated by the Guardia di Finanza,
and Cantiere Navale Vittoria, whose C855 is a
prototype FIC reported to be able to achieve 78kt.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Civil Guard operates
several composite craft built by Vigo-based
Rodman Polyships. In particular, the companys
55ft Rodman 55 is described as being able to top
55kt, while the Rodman 33 and Rodman 46 are
both claimed to be capable of 50kt.
The Scandinavian region is an established
producer of fast craft, led by Swedens
Dockstavarvet , which has an impressive record
of building FIC for home and overseas markets.
Its success is underpinned by its 16m Combat
Boat CB 90 H, which has a speed of more than
50kt and is designed to be rugged and reliable. In
service with both Sweden and Norway, the
design has also been adopted by the Mexican
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11/12/2014 14:46:15
Navy, which has 48 craft focused on intercepting

narco-traffickers and protecting offshore oil rigs.
Other variants are in service with the Royal
Malaysian Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard, while
Indonesia, Nigeria, Paraguay and the Philippines
are other users of various derivatives.
In the UK, BAE Systems continues to offer FIC
designs, particularly for its own MoD, while a wide
range of Russian yards have supplied their fast
craft to domestic users and overseas customers.
Elsewhere, Finlands Marine Alutech produces
boats in composite and aluminium, with the
Watercat 1300, powered by two 478kW diesel
engines with water jets, one of its most popular.
More than 20 have been delivered to the
countrys border guard since 2007.
Frances CMN offers a series of FIC, with the
Interceptor DV15 having been delivered to
Mozambique, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen.
Powered by two surface motors, the 15.5m-long
boat can reach speeds of 53kt and there are
two larger versions designed for extended-range
operations.
Mozambique recently signed a

$200 million deal with CMN to build various
craft, including three HSI 32 interceptors, which
can achieve speeds of 45kt and undertake
patrols for three days, with a range of just under
1,300km. Weapon options include a remotely
operated 20mm cannon and two 12.7mm
machine guns.
CONTINUED GROWTH
Although FIC may become more flexible in the
future and be utilised in other roles such as SOC,
the overwhelming consensus is that demand
for these craft will grow. As the speeds of their
adversaries, whether state-sponsored, terrorist
or criminal, increases, so these craft will need
to become faster. In part, that at least relies on
improving seakeeping and easing the strains
on passengers.
Migeotte added: I think the market is going
to enjoy some growth for a few years as the
technology matures and more countries adopt
these types of craft. Indications are that the
stability of the world is not getting any better and

more countries are coming under the threat of
sanctions and more people will want to migrate
illegally. Both of these scenarios will lead to goods
and people smuggling, and interceptors are one
of the main tools to control this.
Meanwhile, Bonafoux noted that the market
is being driven by the fact that so many of the
potential targets authorities are now chasing
are running in boats doing 50-60kt.
There is plenty of evidence of pirates and
smugglers strapping up to eight outboards to a
fairly basic hull, he said. With that number across
the transom, even a basic monohull is going to
be travelling at high speed.
Le Mire agreed that the market for FIC
will continue to grow, but, as in so many cases,
budgets will be a key driver. Barring the oil-rich
Arab countries, the countries where FIC are most
useful often arent the richest in the world, he
concluded. Countries with the biggest maritime
security problems arent always the ones with the
biggest resources. IMPS
LO O K I N G F O R . . .
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I N - D E P T H N E W S A N A LY S I S ?
D E TA I L E D P R O D U C T D ATA ?
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V I S I T S H E P H A R D P LU S . CO M
FOR MORE INFO
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39
11/12/2014 14:46:15
REFUGEES AND MIGRATION
Beating
the traffic
From its humanitarian implications to the capabilities required for nations to
prevent it, people trafficking is a difficult, deep and complex issue. Phil Rood
looks at some of the approaches being taken around the world.
s global numbers of displaced persons

reach their highest levels since the
end of World War II, the issue of refugees
travelling through hazardous waters to reach
destinations where they can seek a new life has
become a major dilemma for maritime nations.
UN estimates suggest that there are more
than 51 million such individuals worldwide, as
conflicts rage in several regions forcing people to
leave. The office of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) admits that it faces its
biggest challenge since being founded 64
years ago.
Despite the dangers of travelling in
overcrowded and unseaworthy boats across
rough seas, hundreds of thousands of refugees
are prepared to risk their lives to escape troubled
homelands and chase the dream of a settled,
peaceful and more prosperous life in
surroundings untouched by war.
EUROPEAN FOCUS
Europe is at the forefront of that escape to
freedom, as thousands flee conflicts in Syria and
Africa. This year will see record totals eclipsing the
previous highs logged in 2011, with over 50%
of the refugees coming from Syria and Eritrea
hardly surprising when over half of the formers
pre-war population has been uprooted. Syria
is now the worlds biggest source of refugees,
ending 32 years of Afghanistan having that
unenviable distinction.
Maritime security forces often find themselves
facing the unwelcome dilemma of protecting
40
their nations borders while being compelled to

exercise a humanitarian mission, as migrants look
to be rescued from the threat of their own, often
flimsy, vessels being overwhelmed.
We face an unprecedented problem as a
result of the total deficit of peace in the world and
the inability of the international community to
find a resolution to conflict and the incapacity to
prevent new ones, said Andrej Mahecic, senior
external relations officer at UNHCR UK.
We are looking at a unique situation globally.
Migration has always been there for decades,
but this been accentuated by conflict in an
unprecedented way.
He added that while several European
countries are in the front line, and even more
have concerns over the numbers of refugees
seeking to migrate, the UNHCR maintains that
not enough help is coming from the developed
world, with 86% of refugees being hosted by
what it considers to be developing countries.
Bearing the brunt of the mass exodus by
migrants seeking a route north across the
Mediterranean from Libya is Italy, where the
number of men, women and children landing
on the countrys coast to seek asylum in Europe
is expected to reach well over 150,000 by the
end of the year.
By August this year, the figure had reached
108,000, including 14,000 children, 8,000 of
whom were unaccompanied. The desperation of
those asylum seekers is mirrored by the deaths of
more than 2,500 this year, drowned as they seek
to make the passage across the Mediterranean.
IMPS_Winter14_p40-43_Human_Trafficking.indd 40
ITALIAN IMPACT
Mahecic said: The Italians have done an amazing
job and have saved thousands of lives carrying
out rescue operations this year.
However, for the over-stretched Italian Navy
(Marina Militare) and coastguard (Corpo delle
Capitanerie di Porto Guardia Costiera) seeking
to balance border control with a humanitarian
role, the problem has almost spiralled out of
control, as manpower and resources are diverted
from other patrol and policing duties.
As the first country of arrival, Italy is forced to
wrestle with processing tens of thousands of
refugees seeking asylum. However, many
disappear from reception centres like those in
Sicily and Lampedusa Island and head north
to pursue futures in countries such as France
Germany, Sweden or the UK before their cases
can be heard.
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11/12/2014 14:45:49
ng
Naval personnel on board the
San Giorgio prepare to process
asylum seekers who have just
been rescued by landing craft.
Crew from the Italian Navy LPD
San Giorgio scour the sea for
boats carrying asylum seekers.
(Photos: UNHCR/A DAmato)
With a significant number of migrants

also originating from West Africa, where the
deadly Ebola virus has taken hold, the wider
concerns of Italy and other European countries
have escalated.
Mass migration to Europe has put
intolerable pressure on the Italian Mare
Nostrum programme, launched in October
2013 to deal with the maritime influx from
North Africa.
Exactly one year into the operation, over
152,000 women, men and children had been
assisted. Over 95,000 migrants were rescued by
Italian Navy ships, 351 smugglers brought to
justice (in cooperation with public prosecutors)
and nine mother ships seized.
These results were achieved deploying 32
surface vessels, two submarines and helicopters,
plus an average of 900 military personnel a day.
www.impsnews.com
COST BURDENS
Mare Nostrum, which ended on 31 October and
cost over 9 million a month, has been replaced
by the smaller EU Operation Triton under the
Frontex agency, with two fixed-wing aircraft and
one helicopter, and is limited to about 50km off
the Italian coast.
This contrasts to the Italian operation, which
carried out proactive SAR missions across 27,000
square miles of sea. Frontex also has just a third of
the budget ( 2.9 million per month) of Mare
Nostrum. The Italians will maintain a SAR presence
during a two-month transition period.
However, instead of five large ships under Mare
Nostrum, there will be one large vessel stationed
at Lampedusa and three smaller patrol boats.
Some 90% of the people making the
crossing are leaving from Libya, but because
of the political situation in that country and the
lack of maritime resources, it is not possible to
prevent people from leaving, a European
Commission spokesperson told IMPS. Although
its a border guard operation for European
countries, if you see a boat that needs rescuing
you clearly have to carry out that rescue.
According to one source close to the Italian
Navy, the problem has been exacerbated by
unscrupulous traffickers who exploit the nations
willingness to send ships to within 65km of the
Libyan coast to rescue refugees.
The result is that traffickers are prepared to

send large numbers of migrants out in even less
seaworthy boats in the expectation that they will
be rescued without the need to sail into more
dangerous waters further offshore.
While Italy is in the vanguard, other navies and
coastguards from Greece, Malta and Spain have
also had to mount rescue missions. Nearly 15,000
refugees reached Greek shores by the end of July;
just over 1,000 landed in Spain by the end of
June; and around 600 have reached Malta.
TRAGIC RAMIFICATIONS
One of the most tragic incidents was reported
off Malta in September when, according to
survivors, traffickers rammed and sank a boat full
of refugees. The UNHCR could not confirm the
circumstances of the incident, but it is
understood the death toll was around 300.
According to Lt Col Andrew Mallia,
commanding officer of the Maritime Squadron,
Armed Forces of Malta, the situation arose when
traffickers ordered refugees into smaller boats
because they wanted a bigger one returned so
that it did not fall into the authorities hands.
When the refugees refused, their boat
was rammed with appalling loss of life.
It was another example of how the
deteriorating situation in Libya is impacting
the broader region.
41
11/12/2014 14:45:52
Things became harder when Libya fell to

pieces, Mallia noted. We were working hard
with their navy and coast guard and they were
establishing a presence at sea, but that has
fallen apart.
Maltese maritime authorities, with a small force
of two coastal patrol vessels and one OPV, plus
two new AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters,
face an even bigger dilemma when migrants
refuse to be rescued because they want to reach
the Italian coast, rather than land on the isolated
island of Malta.
Mallia continued: The migrants want to go to
Italy and there are instances of them refusing to
board a Maltese ship. All we can do then is stay in
the area and stand by to ensure they are safe and
secure until a third party comes along.
SMALL, BUT STRONG
Maltese maritime assets are operating up to
740km offshore during their migrant operations,
and their squadron commander is quick to refute
criticism that their small force has taken on too
much. He is adamant that it has a legal and moral
obligation to help coordinate SAR efforts,
as well as the capability to conduct operations.
However, although Malta is participating in
the joint EU force, Mallia doubts whether Frontex
can replace the Mare Nostrum operation unless
its budget and mandate are significantly
changed.
Technical equipment and border guard
personnel have been offered by 15 member
states, but Malta does not believe this is a large
enough contribution.
Although European navies and coastguards
face the biggest problem of human trafficking,
the issue is an increasing concern in other
countries worldwide. Australia, the US and even
Yemen, which has to deal with an influx of tens of
thousands from Ethiopia and Somalia, are facing
growing numbers of migrants sailing into their
territorial waters in the hope of securing a new
national identity.
In the US, the dilemma is less focused on
political refugees and more on those attracted
by a potentially better economic existence.
Up to August in FY2014, the USCG estimated
that 5,409 Haitians, 3,657 Cubans and 573
Dominicans had attempted to illegally migrate
via sea, but had been intercepted in the Atlantic,
Caribbean and Florida Straits.
Although many are sent back, their lives are
often saved by USCG rescue missions taking
42
migrants on board who are prepared to risk

everything in dangerous waters, characteristically
travelling in overloaded freighters without
navigational or safety equipment such as life
jackets and position-indicating radio beacons.
ASIAN SEA CROSSINGS
The problem is also growing in Southeast Asia. In
August, the UNHCR report on irregular maritime
movements in the region estimated that 20,000
people risked their lives in sea crossings in the first
half of 2014. Many were persecuted Rohingya
people fleeing Myanmar, and several hundred
were intercepted on boats heading to Australia.
The report, produced by the UNs Bangkokbased Maritime Movements Monitoring Unit, also
showed that more than 7,000 asylum seekers and
refugees who had travelled by sea were being
held in detention facilities in the region, including
over 5,000 in Australian offshore processing
centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
It further estimated that 53,000 people had
departed irregularly by sea from the Bay of
Bengal in the 12 months ending June 2014 a
61% increase over the previous year. In the two
years following the June 2012 outbreak of intercommunal violence in Myanmars Rakhine state,
some 87,000 people mostly Rohingya, but also
Bangladeshis embarked on the dangerous
journey in search of safety and stability.
Typically, passengers were ferried on small
boats to larger fishing or cargo vessels that could
each hold up to 700 people. Most were men,
but there were also rising numbers of women
and children. Most passengers interviewed said
they paid between $50 and $300 to board the
boats and were at sea for an average of one to
two weeks.
TOUGH MEASURES
To counter the threat of illegal immigration,
the Australian government has introduced its
toughest border protection measures ever under
Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB), a military-led
border security operation started in September
2013 and supported and assisted by a wide
range of Australian federal government agencies.
An Australian Customs and Border Protection
(ACBP) spokesperson commented: The
Australian governments policy is intended to
deter people smugglers by denying them a
product to sell. OSB is about defeating people
smugglers who manipulate vulnerable men,
women and children to risk their lives at sea.
An Italian helicopter tracks a

boat filled with more than 200
people (below). (Photo: UNHCR/A
DAmato) Border protection will
be a major role for the new
Australian Cape-class patrol craft
(right). (Photo: Austal)
The effect has been dramatic. There was only

one people smuggling venture to Australia in
the first eight months of 2014, compared to 268
in the same period last year, with no known
incidents involving loss of life in the countrys
territorial waters since the commencement
of OSB. In the period of August 2008 to 31
December 2013, it is estimated up to 1,203 may
have died at sea trying to reach Australia by boat.
The spokesperson added: Under the
Australian governments policy, anyone who
comes to Australia illegally by boat without a visa
will never be settled in the country. There are two
options for people who travel illegally by boat
to Australia: they will be intercepted and safely
removed from Australian waters; or they will be
sent to another country for offshore processing.
Processing and resettlement in Australia will
never be an option.
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS
Besides offshore processing centres in
Papua New Guinea and Nauru, Australia has
agreements with those countries that people
found to be refugees can be settled there.
Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, India, Iraq,
Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are the
major source countries for refugees seeking to
reach Australia, with the major transit countries
including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The reduction in numbers seeking to
enter Australian waters is also partly down to a
move by the OSB to deliver a number of public
information campaigns in key source and transit
countries to deter potential illegal immigrants
from attempting such dangerous boat journeys.
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11/12/2014 14:45:55
These aim to inform and educate people

about the Australian governments tough
policy to combat people smuggling, highlighting
the realities of hazardous sea journeys, the
financial risks of engaging people smugglers,
the deception and lies of people smugglers,
and the consequences of illegal migration by
sea to Australia.
In addition, the Australians are helping source
countries to bolster their resources to prevent
migrants leaving territorial waters.
An ACBP spokesperson added: We have
gifted two retired ACBP patrol boats to
authorities in Sri Lanka and will transfer an
additional two retired patrol boats to authorities
in Malaysia in 2015 to strengthen their capacity to
combat people smuggling and conduct other
maritime security operations.
The ACBP is strengthening its own resources
with eight new 56m Cape-class patrol boats
designed for the law enforcement role. These
are due to be operational by September 2015
and are faster, bigger and have greater range
and operational capability in comparison to
current vessels.
They will be able to sail twice as far as the
existing Bay class up to 7,400km before having
to refuel. This will allow them to undertake longer
patrols of up to 28 days, compared to the current
22-day patrols, and will operate throughout the
Australian maritime domain, which comprises
59,000km of coastline and an offshore maritime
area of nearly 13 million square kilometres.
find themselves in the front line as the natural

entry point for migrants looking to exploit
conventional routes into target countries.
This has been highlighted in northern Europe,
where ports have been under pressure to
implement effective security measures to stop
individuals getting illegal access to ferry services
or prevent them leaving the port estate if they
succeed in crossing seaways like the Channel.
According to the Office for National Statistics,
the UK prevented nearly 17,000 people from
entering the country illegally in the period
from April to June this year. However, that border
interception strategy also increases the lengths
to which migrants will go to secure entry, as
evidenced by an incident at the Port of Tilbury
in August when 35 migrants, including one dead,
were discovered in a container on a ferry arriving
from Belgium.
The UK recently recognised the issue that
ports like Calais in France face in deterring
migrants seeking to make the Channel crossing
by providing 12 million ($19.3 million) over the
next three years, partly to fund a joint operation
between French and British law enforcement
agencies to target sophisticated human
trafficking gangs and smugglers.
Some of the money will also be used to
build more robust fences and increase security
in the parking areas in Calais port, while taking
a leaf out of Australian books, an information
campaign will emphasise the consequences of
illegal immigration.
ENTRY POINTS
While maritime security forces wrestle with the
dilemma of allocating or procuring resources to
deal with the global migrant problem, ports also
SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITY
In contrast, UK ports face their own costs in
financing security measures, while also being
forced to cope with the impact that migrant
www.impsnews.com
incidents have on port operations. Even more

punishing is the impact on haulage companies
and individual drivers, who can be fined up to
2,000 for each individual illegal migrant they
are found guilty of transporting into the UK.
Kevin Richardson, president of the
International Harbour Masters Association
and formerly harbour master at Dover, said
there is little that UK ports can proactively do to
prevent migrants seeking to cross the Channel,
although they need to ensure their reactive
measures are effective.
That will mean providing the best facilities
available for the UK Border Force and ensuring
compliance with the International Ship and
Shore Facility Security Code.
Ports will make sure that the UK Border
Force have the resources to do their jobs,
whether thats in terms of infrastructure such as
buildings for people or to develop areas for X-ray
machines, explained Richardson. But that often
costs money and, although the cry that we need
to be more secure often goes up when theres
a terrorist or immigration incident, there are
no subsidies or grants available to ports to
improve security.
Theres also a fine balance between
intrusive statutory agency interdiction activity
and ensuring normal port business. The liaison
between port authorities and statutory agencies
therefore needs to be good and proactive
on both sides.
FEELING THE STRAIN
With such a rise in global migrant numbers
in recent times, the strain on maritime forces has
become almost overwhelming. Navies, coast
guards and ports now find themselves at the
forefront of a wider political crisis, with their
operational challenges compounded by
humanitarian, security and even health issues.
Refugees dont want to leave their homes
and most want to go back home. The key to this
problem being solved is a resolution of conflict,
explained Mahecic. Places like Syria, Somalia and
Afghanistan have to become countries where
people want to live.
The short-term prospects for such an
outcome appear unlikely. The result is that
maritime security forces, especially those in
Europe and Italy in particular, face further overstretch in 2015, with individual authorities hoping
that some form of joint EU force may at least
partly relieve the pressures. IMPS
43
11/12/2014 14:45:56
FULL ASTERN
Irish
investment
The Irish Naval Service is poised to play a bigger international
maritime role when it accepts three new 90m OPVs into its
fleet. Phil Rood talked to Commodore Hugh Tully,
INS Flag Officer, about the challenges ahead.
f the three new OPVs entering the Irish

Naval Service (INS), the LE Samuel Beckett is
already in service, the second vessel, James Joyce,
is due to follow early next year, and the final ship
is set to arrive in Q1 of 2016.
The OPVs are the biggest vessels in the force
and represent a step-change in capability. For
Cdre Tully, they offer the opportunity for Ireland
to make a significantly larger contribution to
multinational efforts, should the government
decide to participate.
The new ships will extend our radius of
operation in Irish waters and also offer the
possibility of international deployment in
overseas missions, he said. OPVs are ideal for
some of the benign missions, for example antipiracy, rather than using an expensive warship.
HIGHER WORKLOADS
INS OPVs have already supported the Irish Army
in deployments in West Africa and hosted trade
missions overseas, but the addition of the new
ships represents a major upgrade in capability, as
the service faces an increasing workload focused
on fishery protection, policing of future potential
offshore assets and playing its part in the
constant battle to stop narcotics reaching
Europe.
Tully said that in one recent task carried out
by the INS in mid-2014, the service arrested a
yacht with 80 million ($100 million) of cocaine
on board one of the biggest hauls off the Irish
coast for some years.
In addition to our maritime defence and
security operations, most of our day-to-day
work is related to fishery protection, with the
industry worth 1 billion to Ireland every year,
44
with another 2 billion of fish extracted from

Irish waters by other flags.
He added: Sustainability is key because in
the future there will be more and more who
look to these waters to exploit our resources.
Having said that, were also mindful of our
drugs interdiction role and regularly train for
such eventualities.
FORCE BOOST
The new OPVs, built at Babcocks Appledore
yard in north Devon, UK, will provide a boost to
the INS in both roles. They are fitted with a
76mm OTO Melara gun and smaller arms, up to
three high-speed RIBs and an 8t-capacity stern
crane.
The fleet will ultimately be far more flexible
due to: the vessels longer endurance, with the
Samuel Beckett currently carrying out 12-day
patrols; improved seakeeping ability to operate
in the hostile waters off Ireland; better fuel
saving and stabilisation at sea; and a large rear
deck for modular operations.
Once the three new OPVs are all in service,
the INS will have eight patrol vessels of varying
ranges, and Tully is already looking further
ahead to replacing the three oldest ships,
which are more than 30 years old.
A government white paper due to be
published towards the end of the year will
determine what comes next, he said. If we get
further new ships, they could be new-build or
second-hand.
For now, Tully said that the emphasis is on
getting better use from the existing assets, and
the new OPVs will almost certainly benefit from
extended search and surveillance capabilities.
IMPS_Winter14_p44_Interview.indd 44
Trials have already been carried out on Samuel

Beckett with an ROV, and the INS is working
closely with an expert group from industry and
academic institutions to develop a possibly
Irish-intrinsic UAV.
CLUSTER COLLABORATION
Tully also highlighted the INSs collaboration
with the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource
Cluster (IMERC), which comes as part of the
services aims of becoming a net generator of
wealth in Ireland, rather than a consumer.
Included in the work with IMERC, research is
also ongoing into the use of kite sails, tethered
kites that would be flown from ships to provide
possible over-the-horizon surveillance.
Research is at any early stage, but it also
supports our goals of sustainability and
using less fuel, he said. The sails are like a
paraglider and by putting sensors on them you
can extend your horizon by a factor of ten. Its
early days, but nowadays things are budgetdriven and its about getting better use out of
what we have. IMPS
The new ships will extend

our radius of operation in
Irish waters.
www.impsnews.com
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Electronic Warfare
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Precision Weapons Training
MISSION:
AIM FOR INSIGHT
From innovative sensors aboard Earth-observing
satellites to portable radars carried by soldiers on the
battleeld, Raytheon technology collects, analyses
and disseminates intelligence with superior speed and
reliability. We ensure the right people get the right
intel at the right time to make the right decisions
no matter the platform, no matter the mission.
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