Issue No. 7, September 2007 - J. Lauritzen

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6 Staying sa means stay “Our onboard ship management is tight, and our crews are fully confident with what it takes to stay safe – and that’s what matters” Tommy Thomassen Senior Vice President, Head of Lauritzen Fleet Management How J. Lauritzen ships avoid modern-day pirates, terrorists, and run-of-the-mill bad guys. If you have recently enjoyed a couple of hours in a dark theatre happily eating popcorn and watching Pirates of the Caribbean, you can be excused for thinking of piracy as a threat from the past. In fact, it is a danger that never entirely disappeared and one that is making an impressive comeback off the west coast of Africa, in some of the same waters where the Barbary pirates of centuries past preyed on shipping in the western Mediterranean. 21st-century pirates are often trained and heavily armed fighters who use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and Global Positioning System equipment and have the backing of landbased militias. They are notoriously active off Somalia's coast. Although no J. Lauritzen vessels have been attacked, a Danish vessel, the Danica White, was hijacked in June, 210 nautical miles off the Somalian coast. International naval forces do attempt to protect shipping in this area – because of Middle East oil production it attracts heavy traffic – but the size of the territory to be patrolled gives the pirates an edge. Even when help is at the right spot at the right time, rescue efforts are not always successful: the USS Carter Hall, part of a US task force, fired on the Danica White’s hijackers, but had to call off its pursuit after the pirates entered Somalia’s territorial waters. Awareness and discipline Large commercial vessels can’t do much to protect themselves. They are too slow to outrun the pirates, and most shipping companies do not allow ships’ crews to be armed. When asked to explain J. Lauritzen’s 100% success rate in modern time at avoiding this danger, Tommy Thomassen, senior vice president and head of Lauritzen Fleet Management (LFM), gives a disarmingly simple answer. “Our ships play it safe,” he says. “Off Somalia, for example, instruction is to stay at least 250 nautical miles from shore. It’s a matter of staying alert and being disciplined – observing the right security level, posting extra guards, and always being prepared. Our onboard ship management is tight, and our crews
e ing alert are fully confident with what it takes to stay safe – and that’s what matters ” Achieving a consistent level of security awareness and discipline is a matter of training, and LFM sees that everyone is trained in security, in Denmark and the Philippines and in the Baltic countries. There are three Company Security Officers, and each ship in the fleet has a specially trained Ship Security Officer as part of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code. International regulation A major part of a Security Officer’s responsibility is ensuring compliance with the ISPS code that was implemented in the wake of 9/11. Each J. Lauritzen ship has an individual security plan, with specific guidelines about how to respond – and how not to respond – in emergency situations. Additionally, all ships undergo rigorous audits: internal LFM security reviews and inspections and Flag State security audits. “These audits are valuable not only because they document that we comply with requirements, but also because they help us and the shipboard management and crew to continue stay on our toes when it comes to security, not allowing us to slowly doze off” says Tommy Thomassen. He also notes that the ISPS regulations were by far one of the fastest produced and implemented pieces of maritime regulation ever, and points out that rules covering port security are among the most important part of the code. “The regulations tightened quayside security with strict visitor rules and improved search routines for stowaways and explosives,” he says, “so they provide a layer of security against everything from terrorist threats to common criminals.” ISPS regulations also focus on the important transition from sea to port, by requiring ships’ security officer and the port security officer to coordinate security levels in a structured manner. In volatile areas this is vitally important to ship security. 7
Page 1 and 2: OCEANS OF KNOW-HOW September 2007 A
Page 3 and 4: Dear Reader, The ability to handle
Page 5: the coming years, five of them owne
Page 9 and 10: The average amount of money awarded
Page 11 and 12: “J. Lauritzen has enjoyed a stron
Page 13 and 14: A Capesize milestone Lauritzen Bulk
Page 15 and 16: While allotment gardens in the past
Page 17 and 18: ing and discharge ports and determi
Page 19 and 20: An immediate success The 2006-2007

Issue No. 7, September 2007 - J. Lauritzen

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