Industry security experts have concluded that maritime crime will not be stopped any time soon – and that cyber incidents would continue to expand in frequency and severity. This was the consensus at BIMCO’s first ever Maritime Security Seminar in Copenhagen yesterday.

There was further consensus that regional instability in the Horn of Africa confirms the need to retain legacy systems such as the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) initiative to continue to deter piracy. 

The seminar gathered together a large cross section of leading stakeholders involved with the maritime security domain to address a broad range of topics focusing on piracy, terrorism and other illegal maritime activities, including attacks on cyber systems.  Representatives from the shipping industry and their CSOs had the opportunity to discuss key security issues with the interested and supporting government agencies from the US, France, the UK, Denmark, Liberia, the Marshall Islands and Norway. The discussion ranged across insurance, legal, military, flag state, private security and intelligence worlds, focusing on current threats and the most pressing issues. 

A key note address was given by Jim Bergeron, the Political Advisor to the Commander NATO Maritime Forces at a reception hosted by the Secretary General of BIMCO, Angus Frew. 
Giles Noakes, Head of Security at BIMCO, said:

It was extremely valuable to gather leading security experts together at BIMCO to discuss these global issues

The message was clear: the maritime industry must not take short cuts when implementing security procedures. It’s crucial to keep sharing information to encourage all stakeholders to maintain maritime domain awareness and to train personnel to recognise threats - this will reduce the severity of future incidents

ENDS 

About BIMCO

BIMCO is the world’s largest international shipping association, with 2,200 members in around 130 countries. Our global membership includes shipowners, operators, managers, brokers and agents.
Our vision is to be the chosen partner trusted to provide leadership to the global industry. Our mission is to provide expert knowledge and practical advice to safeguard and add value to our members’ businesses. 

BIMCO’s four core service areas provide value and trusted support to our members: 

1. Our products include BIMCO’s world leading standard contracts and clauses for the shipping industry and our contract editor IDEA. We also run the BIMCO Shipping KPI System which can be used to benchmark ships’ operational performance. 
2. Regulation: BIMCO takes an active role on behalf of shipowners during discussions and decisions with global and regional regulators. We work towards a level playing field for shipping – including fair trade and open access to markets.
3. Information and advice: we deal with 10,000 member queries every year on many issues and see over three million page views on our website each year. Our staff share their expert knowledge with members, giving practical advice to safeguard and add value to their businesses. 
4. Our training activities include face-to-face courses, eLearning, webinars and tailor-made courses for companies.