We understand the needs of the marketplace and are driven by our expertise in the security arena. Today's world is replete with geopolitical, cultural and ideological tensions which creates risks that need to be mitigated.
Last Tuesday’s killing of a ship’s officer while seriously injuring his colleagues aboard an oil tanker off the coast of west Africa seem to have started impacting the shipping industry.
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) Seafarers Section has urged ships not to transit the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia owing to the growing problem of piracy which has now spread to the wider Indian Ocean.
"Save in exceptional circumstances, ships should not transit the (affected) area. The risk of attack is now so great that putting seafarers in harm's way amounts to a breach of the ship owner's duty of care," said an ITF statement that called on the wider shipping industry to support this position and to take all measures to ensure the protection of seafarers.
The exceptional circumstances under which a ship would be allowed to transit these pirate-infested waters are when the ship has "adequate naval escort," or "the ship can be classified as low risk and has a proven level of protection measures in place," the ITF said.
Managing Director of Haase Associates, Phil Haase, said, "Many UK companies operate in these waters due to the oil and gas industry. Every business has a duty to safeguard the lives of its staff, whether operating in the UK or abroad.
He continued, "Businesses need to be aware of how to best protect their staff - they have a duty of care. The concept of duty of care is a complex one, and we would advice all of our clients to have robust emergency response protocols in place, should any member of staff be put at risk. This reduces the business and reputational risk for companies and gives them a higher probabliity of getting their people back safely."
subscribe
news archive