Category Archives: News

126 Somali pirates convicted in the past four years

  March 20, 2015 ,
Pirates prosecuted

March 2015 – British prosecutors have worked with their counterparts in the Seychelles to convict 126 Somali pirates in the last four years, while with the measures taken we have nearly two years without a reported commercial hijacking off the Horn of Africa. Attacks are at their lowest level since 2006. The region, which contains one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, has been suffering regular attacks from pirates since 2005, with the number of hijackings peaking at 52 in 2009. As part of the total efforts to tackle piracy in the region, British prosecutors have been based in the Seychelles since 2010. All were funded by the UN and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and in that … Continue reading

Check your PMSC Weapons’ Licenses

  February 18, 2015 ,
UG

January 2015 – BIMCO issued a security advisory on 20 Jan 2015 in which states that has recently received reports that a small minority of Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs) may be operating contrary to the provisions of GUARDCON. These companies are leasing or renting out their weapons to other PMSCs. Those renting/leasing from third parties without having in place the required licences and permits issued by state authorities to control the handling and movement of weapons are likely to be in breach of the original “end user” licences and therefore operating illegally.   PMSCs who engage in this practice are potentially in breach of their obligations under Clause 10 (Permits and Licences) of GUARDCON. Those PMSCs renting/leasing out the weapons are potentially in … Continue reading

AMISOM Mogadishu Base under attack from Al Shabaab

  December 25, 2014 ,

December 2014 – The African Union’s main base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, was attacked by gunmen on Thursday 25 December, leading to a further exchange of gunfire between armed men and soldiers which resulted in nine people killed. Among the dead in Thursday’s attack were three AU soldiers and one civilians, the AU mission –  known as AMISOM – said in a statement . At least five of the attackers were reported killed and three others were captured. The African Union has about 22,000 troops in the country – from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti – to help the government battle al-Shabab. Al-Shabab confirmed it had launched an attack on the base. Spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said … Continue reading

Nigeria terminates US-led training programme for Nigerian Army

  December 4, 2014 ,
UGS

December 2014 – The Nigerian federal government has requested and the United States suspended the training of a Nigerian Army battalion as of 1st December 2014. The program began in April this year with the intention of setting up a new 650-member ranger battalion which would have been deployed to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency. According to the US embassy in Nigeria, the training programme will be discontinued at the request at the request of their Nigerian counterparts: “At the request of the Nigerian government, the United States will discontinue its training of a Nigerian Army (Ranger) battalion. The first two phases of training were conducted between April and August 2014, and had provided previously untrained civilian personnel with basic … Continue reading

UGS Basic Training Course 5-7 November 2014

  November 10, 2014 ,
UG

It is by now quite known that we, at United Guards Services, believe in the power of continuous and focused training.  Therefore we once more held a UGS Basic Training Course for new sec. operators in our Training Center facilities in Piraeus from 5 to 7 November 2014.Our trainees had the opportunity to have the necessary induction training, as well as full BMP-4 and anti piracy theory and practice, further enhanced in SOPs, rules for the use of force, legal aspects of maritime security, current regulations and operational updates and of course the firearms competency course. Even though our security operators come with a solid qualifications and experience background, this basic training course aims to their proper preparation for their … Continue reading

UGS MARSEC Digest October 2014

  October 23, 2014 ,
RECAAP Q3 2014 REPORT

ReCAAP ISC Summary of Q3 Piracy & Armed Robbery in Asia For the first six months of 2014, there has been a significant increase in the number of incidents compared to the same period of last year. The ReCAAP ISC witnesses a surge in the number of incidents from 61 reported during January – June 2013 to 90 during the same period in 2014. However, after July 2014, there has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents within the three-month period from July to September in 2014. On a quarter-to-quarter comparison, there was a 33% decrease in the number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported during the period of July – September 2014 compared … Continue reading