Consultants guide to Ship Anti Piracy work in GoA

natashakurtis2010 said:
Hi Nick
Can you work in the maritime security industry as a female?
Thanks
Natasha
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Hi Natasha,

If you are ex military, then there is no reason why not, however i think you may find it a struggle in merchant shipping - as most of the Filipino dont see women on tankers, dry bulkers - and if you are going on as an armed team member then you may need to prove your worth. I took my ex girlfriend on a VLCC tanker whilst it was at anchor at Brixham to brief the crew and put some kit onboard as they were heading for Suez - we were only onboard 5 hours but she had to be escorted everywhere.....They are just not used to seeing women being onboard but.....In the cruise ship industry i would see it being much easier for you and there is a constant requirement for good female security personnel.

It would be helpful for you to gain a good insight into the work / risk undertaken in the Indian Ocean maybe in an ops job for a short while before deploying.... Piracy will be around for many many years to come so there is no major rush.

If you would like more info please email me nick at mmwc dot org

Merry xmas everyone - ships keep moving - stay safe :) :cool:
 
Nick has nailed a lot of the issues about the Anti-Piracy industry. I am close to one year in the business and working on my second contract for a new company. A different kind of person is needed for this line of work.

Transits at sea can be long-winded affairs with much boredom, limited space and little communication to the outside world. And in the monsoon season a huge oil tanker might get tossed on the high seas with as much as 40+ degrees roll. Everything in your cabin falls round. After two sleep deprived days the rot sets in and all sorts of unclean thoughts goes through your mushy brain...

Spending money on courses in the hope of getting a better chance of employment may not help you much. Even if you fork out the money and do the course you still need to have a contact so that your cv dont stay at the bottom of the pile. People rather employ someone known although they might not have the right qualifications. If it is really necessary, you can acquire it at your first rotation. Make sure you will be able to work on the sea for a length of time before investing in it further. My motto is never to spend much money when trying to find a job. Make sure if you have a job to impress your mates just as much as your boss because most likely your next employment will come through one of them.

I have a huge question mark about unarmed security on these transits. Imagine fighting off pirates with everything at your disposal - razor wire, fire-hoses, Molotof cocktails and the rest but because of their numbers, they still manage to board your vessel. I think not they will smile when you submissively lay down your last home made concoction while meekly trying to explain your presence there and trying to clear the misunderstanding during the voyage to Somalia. Best is to have a grabbag ready and jump in the drink and hope you get picked up before you hear a shark smacks his chops. If none of these options is to your liking, go for armed security.

The salary cannot compare to what you can expect to earn in the Middle East and that is usually the companies reasoning - the piracy danger is far less than in Iraq or Afgan.

Some of these companies operate from the UAE and your contract can be seriously breached because of this. Promising work visas etc, you will off course find yourself working only at sea and never on land thus the country can be entered continually on a tourist visa which is legal and thereby nullify the need for a workvisa in the UAE resulting in you not qualifying for a labourcard, without which you are stuck and its easier to push a chain across Dubai than the Labour Dept investigating your complaints. In fact, you are totally at the mercy of your employer and furthermore, limited in what you can purchase in the UAE.

Hope I am not coming across too negative but make sure if you consider employment in this industry that the company is'nt a fly by night but has a good name, you have some salt in your veins and don't waste money on training that is not really necessary.

Happy hunting
 
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Kabous,

From what I can gather the going rate in the sandpit has dropped massively, I've spoken to a few guys who earn less per day than what some marsec firms pay
 
Mate,
Brilliantly put about the SSO course, what a bloody con, I've been telling people about this for ages and people are convinced that if they do the course they WILL get a job.
I might set up my own SSO training course, I'd make thousands!!!!
 
Oh Yeah,
The money is comparable to Sandy places, I'm on 300 quid a day, I know guys at MUSC are pulling 350 per day.
And it's nice and safe!!!
 
Bighag

Believe me mate you won't make thousands running SSO training. I have been delivering SSO training since 2003, not just this recent spate of anti piracy activity, it is just one element of a time served marsec companies portfolio.

Never knowingly sold the course to anyone without them knowing that it will teach them diddly about marsec...............but in lieu of another internationaly approved marsec course, it's the one that the operators ask guys to have. It's that old cunundrum of, whether you think it's required or not, if that is what the operator wants and you don't have it, you won't get the work.

Also remember when you talk about the MUSC guys on £350, the job is very different to the general anti piracy work and most of the lads have LC backgrounds with the RIB driving and general seamanship experience to the fore. The money is good because the people that put the contract in place fought for it.

John
 
Nick, BZ on an excellent post. I have long protested that the SSO qualification has no relevance to private anti-piracy operators. Every man and his dog seem to be running SSO courses these days, many of which would not know the bridge from the heads! Sadly a pure money spinning excercise I feel.
 
Very good post!
I've been working on merchant vessels passing via GOA for 4 years as a navigational officer. Statement about spreading of "Mother's vessels" & "Skiffs" to the East - complete truth. Last time I've been proceeding via GOA in January 2011, and I must say, that my vessel has received a lot of warnings about pirate attacks which were commited close to the Maldive's Islands and even in the MIDDLE of Indian Ocean! So, unfortunately high risk area becomes vast.
I've been chasing by pirates several times and the worst thing is that me and my crew have nothing to do with that, only to escape. I don't want to be "hunted" all the time but I'm really want to strike back. My question is: How to get in to the Anti Piracy Industry? Do you have any career path for merchant fleet officers in MMWC or any other Anti Piracy center and if you do, what should be done from my side to get into? I would be very appreciate to you for any suggestion of right courses.
Thanks in avance, and Good Luck!
 
Very good post!
I've been working on merchant vessels passing via GOA for 4 years as a navigational officer. Statement about spreading of "Mother's vessels" & "Skiffs" to the East - complete truth. Last time I've been proceeding via GOA in January 2011, and I must say, that my vessel has received a lot of warnings about pirate attacks which were commited close to the Maldive's Islands and even in the MIDDLE of Indian Ocean! So, unfortunately high risk area becomes vast.
I've been chasing by pirates several times and the worst thing is that me and my crew have nothing to do with that, only to escape. I don't want to be "hunted" all the time but I'm really want to strike back. My question is: How to get in to the Anti Piracy Industry? Do you have any career path for merchant fleet officers in MMWC or any other Anti Piracy center and if you do, what should be done from my side to get into? I would be very appreciate to you for any suggestion of right courses.
Thanks in avance, and Good Luck!
 
Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre said:
Consultants guide to Ship Anti Piracy work in GoA​

Dear Nick,

Thanks for all the info in your original post, it has saved me from running straight down the wrong path!

Do you have any recommendations with regards to training providers?
Also, although I am currently working within Close Protection I do not have any maritime experience, ie not ex marine. Does this mean I'll hit a complete brick wall when applying for work or just the usual uphill struggle?

Many thanks in advance for your help and time in reading/replying to me.

All the best, Jonathan
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I just come back from a 3 week escort assignment thought the Indian, arabian Sea and gulf of Oman and it looks like the goverment in SA is making it very hard for SA guys to do this sort of work.
Do anyone know of a company thats willing to take South African guys?
Thanks
Keep Safe
 
Wow it took me nearly 5 days to read all the posts in this thread. Im glad to see it remained mainly on topic. Such a wealth of advice.

I look forward to catching up with you next Tuesday Nick in Southampton.

kind regards,

Eddy
 
Very comprehensive post, generally covering a lot of recent questions I've been asked...so am recommending it as food for thought to a few guys interested in the maritime role.
cheers
jk
 
Would like to find out info on how i could be part of the anti piracy team or team's.. i have a few friends that are currently working in this line of duty, i also have friends that are leaving close protection to do anti piracy so would like to know how i would go about it... as much info as possible would be a great help...
 
george97 said:
Would like to find out info on how i could be part of the anti piracy team or team's.. i have a few friends that are currently working in this line of duty, i also have friends that are leaving close protection to do anti piracy so would like to know how i would go about it... as much info as possible would be a great help...
Click to expand...

or possibly read this forum bud the question has been asked many times and answered dont be lazy take some time it aint going to come to you you need to do some ground work
 
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