Shipping
The World’s Most Dangerous Waters
Forbes staff,
The perilous rescue of captain Richard Phillips is just one episode in a worldwide renaissance of sea piracy that began a decade ago.

In Pictures: The World’s Most Dangerous Waters

Contrary to what many people think, piracy has not been relegated to the history books. On the contrary, it has risen sharply in the last decade: The global arms trade has made it easy to access cheap and powerful weapons, and globalization has filled the oceans with cargo vessels. The plunder has spawned a new era of piracy that is dominated by machine-gun-toting gangs equipped with rocket-propelled grenades and other modern weapons ready to board, kill crews, steal cargo and even hijack and resell ships. Here’s where they strike most.

When most Americans thought of sea piracy before last week, Johnny Depp came to mind, not Somalia. But the hostage taking and perilous rescue of captain Richard Phillips is only the most high-profile episode in a worldwide renaissance of sea piracy that began a decade ago.

At its heart: the growth of global commerce in the past two decades that has crowded the oceans with cargo vessels, dry-bulk carriers and supertankers loaded with every good imaginable. The world currently transports 80% of all international freight by sea. More than 10 million cargo containers are moving across the world’s oceans at any one time.

In Pictures: The World’s Most Dangerous Waters

The heavy ocean traffic (and its cargo) spawned a surge in sea piracy and a new breed of pirates, the bloodiest the world has seen. More than 2,400 acts of piracy were reported around the world between 2000 and 2006, roughly twice the number reported for the preceding six-year period. Although pirate attacks have at least tripled during that time period, the actual number of attacks remains unclear. Shipping companies frequently do not report attacks out of concern that it could increase insurance premiums.

And nearly every group of government monitoring sea piracy believes that number is seriously undercounted. The Australian government estimates the actual number of piracy attacks is 2,000% higher. Piracy is estimated to cost between $13 billion and $16 billion every year and could cost substantially more in coming years.

“Piracy is not going away,” says Peter Chalk, an international security analyst at the RAND Institute. “In fact, it’s getting more serious and more violent, and it’s only a matter of time before you need to take it more seriously.”

That’s starting to happen. The potential of a disastrous environmental spill resulting from an attack finally forced the international community to clamp down on sea piracy. International law allows any government vessel to repress an act of piracy in international waters. On Oct. 30, 2007, two American destroyers, the USS Porter and the USS Arleigh Burke, attacked and sank two Somali pirate vessels after the pirates captured the Japanese tanker, Golden Mori.

On April 4, 2008, the luxury French yacht Le Ponant was crossing the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia when a swarm of speed boats surrounded the 32-cabin, three-masted vessel. A band of Somali pirates stormed the yacht, hijacking the vessel and taking all 30 of its crew members hostage.

A week of intense negotiations followed, ending with the release of the hostages to French military officials on April 11 in exchange for an undisclosed ransom. Shortly after the exchange, a team of French commandos tracked the pirates to a remote location in the Puntland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia. The commandos overtook them on an open stretch of desert road, attacking from helicopters and capturing six of them.

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Expect more intervention. Last year, the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of a new measure that would allow the U.S. military to engage Somalian sea pirates.

But Somalia is not the only place with piracy outfits this organized. Somalia is a relative latecomer to contemporary sea piracy. Since 2000, southeast Asia has had the most dangerous waters in the world. Malaysia and the islands of the Indonesian archipelago have seen the lion’s share of sea piracy since 2000. Also troubling: the waters off Nigeria and Iraq.

Unlike the pirates of yesteryear, contemporary sea piracy is frequently carried out by highly sophisticated criminal organizations made up of seasoned fighters and equipped with speedboats, satellite phones and global positioning systems. Recently captured Somali pirates claim they belonged to an organized militia that engaged in piracy to raise funds. Organizations have started attacking from more than one ship simultaneously using a number of quasi-military tactics.

Violence has become an endemic feature of privacy, particularly over the last five to 10 years. The birth of the illicit global arms trade that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 made it easier for many (who might feel less inclined to pursue piracy if they lacked guns) to become pirates, according to Chalk. The arms trade has made cheap and powerful weapons available in many parts of the world.

Five to six years ago, when pirates attacked, they used machetes, knives and pistols. “Today,” says Noel Choong, the current director of the International Maritime Bureau’s anti-piracy office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, “they come equipped with AK-47s, M-16s, rifle grenades and [rocket-propelled grenades].”

This not only poses an enormous risk in terms of human security, but also endangers maritime security. Attacked ships can be left unmanned, turning into rogue vessels. “In many maritime choke points where attacks often occur, this creates a serious risk of a collision,” says Chalk.

“The truth is that modern piracy … is a violent, bloody, ruthless practice,” said Captain Jayant Abhyankar, deputy director of the International Maritime Bureau at a conference in Singapore, “made the more fearsome by the knowledge on the part of the victims that they are on their own and absolutely defenseless and that no help is waiting just round the corner.”

In Pictures: The World’s Most Dangerous Waters

Friday, April 10, 2009

CEOs Face Growing Threats at Home and Abroad

Matt Egan

FOXBusiness

Rising tempers in the U.S. about bailed-out banks, inappropriate bonuses and millions of layoffs have given a whole new definition to the term “job security” for Corporate America’s senior executives.

Given a string of high-profile kidnappings overseas and increasing confrontations with activists (see: CodePink) at home, many CEOs may now need to consider taking steps to protect their physical safety as the U.S. recession extends into its 17th month.

“The sorry fact is that too many executives are suffering from a denial syndrome that it’s never going to happen to them — until it does,” said Joseph LaSorsa, who drove former President Ronald Reagan as part of a 20-year career at the Secret Service and now owns security consulting firm J.A. LaSorsa & Associates.

Executives face a growing danger when traveling overseas and could be the victims of violence at home from angry shareholders, disgruntled employees and a disillusioned American public sick of a string of corporate bailouts.

“It’s pushing people off the deep end and it’s going to continue. We’ve added the ingredients to this makeshift bomb and it will explode,” said LaSorsa.

The biggest worry is that CEOs in the U.S. or their families could be kidnapped by criminal elements hoping to make a quick buck. These so-called “express kidnappings,” which have taken off in Mexico and Central America, are aimed at scoring a ransom from companies desperate to bring the situation to a conclusion.

“This is an increasing phenomenon occurring around the world, and as the economy continues to deteriorate we will be facing it here because it’s a quick, easy way to make money,” said LaSorsa.

While there haven’t been many high-profile cases of this type of kidnapping occurring here, angry workers in France have made locking up their managers over labor disputes become the norm, including recent examples involving 3M and Sony. Police have been apprehensive about intervening, and recent polls in France show nearly half of the population believes such a practice is acceptable.

Executive security ranges from $125 per hour to $4,000 per day, depending on the threat level. Companies typically pay for security of executives, their families and their homes.

Kelly Klatt, CEO of Center for Security Solutions, an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm, said he has seen an uptick of interest in recent months from companies fearful of more outrage if the economy fails to recover soon.

“They are doing ‘what if’ planning. ‘What if it gets worse? What do we need to do to protect our management?’” said Klatt.

At the same time, LaSorsa said he is seeing companies growing more apprehensive about sending their executives abroad, with many instead opting to conduct teleconferences.

“If they don’t have to go, they shouldn’t go. If they’re not traveling with security the bottom line is they are going to be exposed,” said LaSorsa.

Even at home CEOs have proven to be easy targets. Earlier this week Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was confronted at a recent speech by members of CodePink, a women’s anti-war activist group. The activists charged onto the stage and loudly protested against the bank bailouts, holding a sign that said “We want our $$$$$ back.”

And it’s not just the usual suspects of angry workers and angrier activists. Negotiators off the coast of Somalia are still trying to bring a peaceful resolution to the kidnapping of the captain of a hijacked container ship, which earlier this week became the first American hostage-taking by pirates in 200 years.

While his clients aren’t often in standoffs with pirates, LaSorsa said he has also seen a boost to business due to executives worried about their own security in the current environment.

LaSorsa charges $150 an hour, and said his firm provides bullet-proof vests (when needed), bodyguards armed with 9mm semiautomatic sidearms and armed chauffeurs. He said it’s also necessary to send advanced security agents to scout locations before clients arrive into what can quickly turn into a hostile environment.

LaSorsa said he sees a “domino effect” where the credit crisis has forced businesses to shut down and lay off thousands of workers, some of whom could be come threats to executives.

“That just fuels my business,” he said.

It is the information age. Information has become valuable in society today. The right piece of information can make or break a business or a marriage. The goal of private investigation is to track down information and people are more than willing to pay a good sum to get what they need. Information is why private investigation is a booming business and is why the internet has grown at such an amazing rate – information has become one of the most profitable commodities in the world today.

Because the demand for information is so high, agencies have been popping up all over to cash in. So that leaves you in the situation of making sure you find a reliable and reputable agency to work with if you ever need to hire one. What criteria can you use to judge a private investigation agency?

Availability of Resources

A private investigation agency is only as powerful as its resources. Actually, the resources are the only reason you actually need an investigation agency anyway. You need their access to private databases. You need their high tech surveillance and forensic equipment. You need their contacts on the street and those in high places. Besides fancy equipment and contacts, one of the most valuable resources of a private investigation agency is its people. A good agency has the manpower to work on your case around the clock until your case is solved. So it is important to consider the extent of resources the private investigation agency has to put to work on your case.

Expertise

Not all Private investigators are competent and experienced in all areas of the private investigative spectrum. So when choosing an agency to work with, make sure they are experienced in dealing with your type of case. Some agencies only specialize in certain type cases. You will certainly want an agency that has a lot of experience in the type of work you need. That way the chance of a positive outcome is higher and the work will probably be completed sooner which means you will have to pay less money.

Price

You probably already know that a good private investigation agency won’t come cheap. Still, there is no need to pay more than you have to. It is a good idea to shop around among different agencies and compare their qualifications against their rates so you can determine the best match for your situation and your pocketbook.

You should take your time when evaluating private investigation agencies. No matter what your case entails, it will probably be a big expense for you. The more complicated the case, the higher the expense. You might have lot at stake if your case involves your business or family so finding a highly qualified agency is imperative.

J. A. LASORSA & ASSOCIATES (www.lasorsa.com) , FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT, Presidential Protection – the White House, providing worldwide discreet Executive Protection, Bodyguard, Bodyguards, Physical Security Services and Training to corporate executives, dignitaries, the public, and celebrities. Operating out of our home base in South Florida, our firm’s Security Services include, but are not limited to: Estate & Yacht Security, Systems and Safe Room – Design and & Construction, Corporate Security Consulting, Workplace Violence, School Violence, School Security Expert Consultant & Training and Debugging, Anti Wiretapping, Industrial Counter Espionage & general Audio Counter-Measures.

We provide Confidential Private Investigator Services to insurance companies, businesses, financial institutions, andprivate citizens. Our team of highly experienced private investigators can provide law firms of any size with the Litigation Support Resources necessary to secure the evidence they need for any case. We provide both domestic andinternational services, to include: Antigua, Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Grenada, Montserrat, Netherland Antilles, Nevis, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos and Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, New York, Los Angeles, U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Cayman, Trinidad, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Mexico, El Salvador,Venezuela and South America, Europe, Italy, Rome, Milan, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Asia, China, the Far East, India, etc.

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Friday, February 06, 2009

Matt Egan

FOXBusiness

Whether it’s a souped-up BlackBerry, the most fearsome Cadillac on the planet or a suit that stops speeding bullets, the businesses behind protecting the world’s most powerful person have received widespread attention from an international audience in recent weeks.

Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion (RIMM: 59, -0.17, -0.29%) landed an endorsement beyond its wildest dreams when President Barack Obama refused to enter the White House without his BlackBerry device.

Detroit’s recently-bailed out General Motors (GM: 2.83, -0.01, -0.35%) scored some badly needed positive PR when the president’s new tank-like Cadillac was unveiled last month.

And a Colombian fashion designer whose bullet-resistant line of clothing has been dubbed the “Armani of Armor,” drew international attention after Obama reportedly wore a bullet-resistant suit at last month’s Inauguration.

“I can assure you there is no more difficult challenge in the world than to protect the president of the United States. It was the biggest challenge I was ever involved in,” said Joseph LaSorsa, who drove former President Ronald Reagan as part of a 20-year career at the Secret Service and owns security consulting firm J.A. LaSorsa & Associates.

RIM has easily scored the biggest marketing coup, given the intense publicity Obama’s fight to hold onto his BlackBerry received since the election.

“In just the first few weeks, I’ve had to engage in some of the toughest diplomacy of my life. And that was just to keep my Blackberry,” Obama joked last week, according to AFP.

“You can’t buy that kind of coverage in an advertising campaign,” said Kevin Restivo, senior software analyst at IDC. “A company typically has to spend tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. In this case, RIM has done nothing other than produce something that it’s already been producing.”

Obama’s insistence on keeping his BlackBerry underscores not just his own tech savvy, but also the ubiquitous nature of the device.

“I like the fact that we have a president who uses information technology to his benefit. It means we actually have the first information-age president,” said Bruce Schneier, a security technologist and author.

But the move doesn’t come without risks as Obama’s communications are potentially subject to illegal access from hackers and spies as well as unwanted legal access from subpoenas. To combat the illegal threat, Obama’s messages have been restricted to a tight circle of friends and will likely be re-routed to avoid RIM’s headquarters in Canada.

“Nothing is hacker-proof,” said Kevin Mitnick, a security consultant and formerly one of the world’s most famous hackers. “The National Security Agency probably put in a crypto add-on so that even if the communications were intercepted, they would be unintelligible.”

Of course there are perks included in Obama’s BlackBerry usage that most Americans live without.

“There are a lot of benefits. For example, he will never lose it. You and I have to worry about the NSA eavesdropping. The president can call the NSA and say, ‘Don’t do that,’” said Schneier.

Auto aficionados have also drooled over “The Beast,” the president’s new fortress-like Cadillac limousine. GM, which was rescued from collapse by the Bush Administration last year and reported a 51% sales drop in January, had the honor of designing and manufacturing the Obamamobile.

“Although many of the vehicle’s security enhancements cannot be discussed, it is safe to say that this car’s security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world,” Nicholas Trotta, an assistant director at the Secret Service, said in a statement.

The new presidential limo likely rides on a medium-truck GM chassis, is encased in several inches of military-grade armor, has a floor blanket made of Kevlar, ballistic-resistant windows and tires and a sealed air-circulation system to defend against gas attacks, according to an LA Times analysis.

“There’s no way to know for sure” exactly what kind of attacks it can withstand, “unless you start firing mortars at it and hopefully that never happens,” said Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com, who spotted a prototype of the vehicle in Colorado in July.

There was no guarantee that GM would land this high-profile deal as Mercedes and BMW already specialize in armored vehicles, said Brauer.

“It’s nice to see a very clearly American brand serving a very clearly American role like this. Obviously General Motors wanted the visibility they would get from this,” said Brauer.

Meanwhile, speculation has swirled that Obama was wearing a bullet-resistant coat or suit when he took the oath of office last month. Officials haven’t confirmed the reports but experts said they wouldn’t be surprised if it were the case.

True or not, the speculation has been a boon for Colombian designer Miguel Caballero, whose garments offer three levels of ballistic protection and are seven times more flexible than Kevlar vests. Caballero’s clothing can protect against anything from a 9mm pistol to fire from a Mini Uzi or an MP5 submachine gun.

In an interview with FOX Business last month, Caballero said the bullet-resistant fabrics costs $2,000 to $6,000 and are designed to “absorb the energy of the bullet.” He also said his line of clothing is catching on as they have dealers in 28 countries and have been worn by Alvaro Uribe, the president of Colombia, and Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador.

“Protective garments are used all of the time,” said LaSorsa. “Everything in the world of protection has changed since 9/11. The protection of the president has probably been the most dramatic change.”

By Paul Thompson and Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 7:14 PM on 09th January 2009

It’s official call sign is Cadillac One, but it will always be known as the Obamobile.

This is the top – security armoured limousine which has been custom built to be Barack Obama’s presidential car.

It will travel with him wherever in the world he goes. The President- elect, pictured inset, will have his first ride in the stretch limo when he parades along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington after his inauguration on January 20.

But his Secret Service agents have already been familiarising themselves with the machine they call ‘The Beast’, built by General Motors in Detroit and based on a Cadillac chassis.

The company refuses to give precise details of how it will perform its primary purpose – protecting the president.

But bulletproof glass and armourplatingare standard throughout and the car is hermetically-sealed to withstand chemical weapons.

As with previous presidential limos it is packed with electronic communication systems to allow Mr Obama to keep in contact with the outside world.

One personal touch will be the remote-controlled ten-CD changer on which he can play his favourite artists, said to include Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan.

Despite the protection afforded by Cadillac One, the Secret Service will be taking no chances when Mr Obama is sworn in as the 44th president.

A three-mile security perimeter will be thrown around the U.S. capital, with no vehicles allowed inside, to prevent a car bomb attack.

The expected two million visitors have been told to be in place at least three hours before the swearingin ceremony begins.

In his first major speech since his election triumph, Mr Obama warned last night that the U.S. could be mired in recession for years if his plan for a £515billion rescue package is delayed too long.

He had been hoping to sign it into law on his first day, but it has been the subject of prolonged wrangling in Congress.

The bailout, which is in addition to the £450billion fund approved last year, offers tax cuts to the middle class and small businesses as well as a massive cash infusion to modernise roads, bridges, schools and medical care.

Money would also be provided for renewable energy projects.

A US intelligence document has revealed the Secret Service fear a ‘lone wolf’ type attack on the day rather than an organised, well-planned plot to kill Obama.

According to the intelligence document, no specific threat to Obama has been uncovered.

But the report makes it clear the number of dignitaries and the significance of the swearing-in of America’s first black president make the inauguration vulnerable to attacks.

The level of security is unprecedented – and already Mr Obama says he feels trapped.

In a candid interview, the American President-Elect described his frustration at being suffocated by the White House bubble.

He is already cosseted in a security cocoon, driven around in a heavily guarded motorcade and unable to walk down the street without a massive security operation.

The 47-year-old revealed how his staff even discouraged him from going body-surfing in Hawaii – and that wife Michelle was amused after pictures of him on the beach without a shirt appeared in the press.

‘It was silly, but, you know, silliness goes with this job,’ he said.

Mr Obama has vowed to hang on to normal life as long as possible after moving to the White House, which Harry Truman once dubbed ‘great white jail.’

The President-Elect said he particuarly determined to keep his Blackberry to have a link with the wider world.

He is trying to avoid the fate of President George W. Bush, who gave up e-mail when he took power in 2001 on the advice of his lawyers.

‘They’re going to pry it out of my hands,’ he told The New York Times and CBNC. ‘I don’t know that I’ll win, but I’m still fighting it.

‘What it has to do with is having mechanisms where you are interacting with people who are outside of the White House in a meaningful way.

‘And I’ve got to look for every opportunity to do that – ways that aren’t scripted, ways that aren’t controlled, ways where.. people aren’t just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded.

‘And if I can manage that over the next four years, I think that will help me serve the American people better because I’m going to be hearing their voices.

‘They’re not going to be muffled as a consequence of me being in the White House.’

President Bush was forced to give up emails as his lawyers feared electronic communications would have to be preserved for posterity as presidential documents.

There are also concerns that presidential electronic communications could be hacked into by the mischievous or the malevolent.

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The World's Most Dangerous Waters

In Pictures: The World’s Most Dangerous Waters

In Pictures: The World’s Most Dangerous Waters

The Piracy Problem

In Pictures: The World’s Most Dangerous Waters