|
 Safety, Environment
& Security |
 |
 |
 |
| WEBSITES |
|
|
| |
Back to SSG 16
Kidnappings pose serious security problem
Ship security is a fickle affair. Owners and operators struggle to find a sensible middle way between safety and operational expediency without compromising vessel security. By and large, ship security is not a major problem to the shipping industry, except for periodical piracy and kidnappings in certain areas of the world. A worldwide structure is set out in the International Ships and Port (ISPS) Code (see box). However, the code is simply a framework for consistency of security measures among the 162 members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Only if further countries implement the ISPS Code the network is in place to improve ships and port security.
Niger River Delta
Having code regulations is one thing, enforcement another. There will remain certain areas, which are non-regulated and more or less lawless. One such area is the Niger River Delta in Nigeria, which produces around 2,0 million barrels per day of oil and soon will have offshore gas fields on stream. A number of drilling rigs, production vessels and supply ships and anchor handlers, many of them Norwegian controlled and flagged, have operated in this area for many years. The problem of ship security, and for that matter rig security, is acute in this region, which is poorly policed due to lack of resources as well as lack of incentive to stop kidnappings of crew members and other acts of piracy.
Although kidnappings in the Delta region, particularly in the states Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta, have been going on for many years, it was brought home to Norway at the beginning of August, when the captain and chief engineer of the Norwegian-owned and flagged anchor handling tug supply vessel Northern Comrade were kidnapped along with two Ukrainian ordinary seamen from the same vessel. They were all released a week later, unharmed, when the kidnappers’ demands were met. Norwegian owners and the relevant unions were quick to decide that service on vessels and rigs off Nigeria should be more or less voluntary, because the risk involved. The number of kidnappings have increased, but not to the extent that there is an entirely new risk scenario, according to experts.
Notorious area
With between 50 and 60 oil workers and crewmembers kidnapped so far this year, the problem is escalating and many flag states demand that the area is better policed. How to police 70,000 square kilometers, much of which is mangrove marsh? By mid-August the Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo ordered an immediate security crackdown on armed gangs in the Delta region saying that: “We will not accept this any longer”. However, without the support of the local population the police will make no headway. Despite that big oil reserves in the area the 20 million or so inhabitants remain largely impoverished, fuelling widespread resentment against the Nigerian government and the oil companies. Hostage-takers often demand ransom or jobs and amenities for their communities in return for the release of their captives.
Oil companies in particular are – quite naturally – cagey when asked about security measures to counteract kidnappings and pure piracy. All they will say is that they have stringent measures in place to prevent kidnapping and that they co-operate closely to pool security resources. The problem is that even stringent measures cannot prevent kidnapping. The crew of a drilling rig or a supply vessel will be on shore from time to time and often get kidnapped in bars, nightclubs and restaurants. No amount of security can prevent this.
 The 1,413 GT Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) “Northern Comrade”, owned by Trico Supply in Norway, was in the news as her Norwegian captain, chief engineer and two Ukrainian crew members were kidnapped in early August.
Norwegian units in the area
Nobody knows for sure how many Norwegian seamen there are in Nigerian waters at preset, but according to the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA) there are currently 13 supply vessels, three drilling rigs and three production vessels, which are Norwegian owned, flagged or controlled, operating in the waters off the Delta region. Security experts talking to Scandinavian Shipping Gazette (SSG) are all very careful not to be too specific on measures in hand. Generally speaking, they are taking two types of counter-measures; non-violent and armed security.
To arm supply vessels would entail a serious escalation and it would put lives at risk. Therefore vessels are simply strengthening existing ship security measures and routines to try to prevent further kidnappings. The biggest problem is when vessels are in ports with little or no security setup and can remain vulnerable for extended periods at the time.
The kidnappers will always have the upper hand. They are armed against an unarmed crew, safe for the water cannon. Thankfully there has been little loss of lives in these kidnappings. However, they will continue unless the Nigerian authorities make a determined effort to fight the armed gangs and to dampen the unrest and meet some of the demands from the local population.
//Petter Arentz
ISPS Code Regulations
Key elements of a ship security plan include:
Company Security Officer (CSO): A designated individual in the Company responsible for developing and implementing a security program.
Ship Security Assessment (SSA): A risk-based analysis of security-related hazards or threats for each ship the company operates. The assessment should address the particulars of the ship, its cargoes and crew and the locations where it will operate. It should also consider the likelihood of various security-related scenarios and possible responses to those scenarios.
Ship Security Plan (SSP): A ship specific document based on the assessment that identifies equipment and the measures and procedures that are to be employed to maintain security on board the ship. The plan must address specific measures appropriate to the level of security specified by the Government or the company. The plan must be approved by the Flag State or its RSO, such as ABS.
Ship Security Officer (SSO): A designated individual on board each ship responsible for implementing the plan, for ensuring the plan is followed at all times, both at sea and in port, and for the training of the ship’s crew so they are familiar with their security-related duties. This individual is the primary point of contact between the ship and the Port Facility Security Officer on hand at each port or terminal.
Source: American Bureau of Shipping
Latest update 18-10-2006 8:49
|
|
 CURRENT SSG |
|
No 12/2008
Order a copy
|
 |
| CURRENT SST |
|
No 13-14/2008
Köp numret
|
|
|
2006