Maritime Security

The Draco Group has actual, proven and successful experience in maritime security.  Our staff is trained and led by Israeli special operations personnel.  Due to our training and combat experience against terrorists, along with our proven methods, we are in a unique position to offer the highest quality service that guarantees successful protection of our clients and their assets.

In addition to maritime security, we also offer risk assessments, implementation and investigations.  Each vessel and type of vessel has its own security requirements for crew, passengers and cargo.  We analyze, make recommendations and implement those recommendations.

Three high risk areas for piracy include the Gulf of Aden, the Caribbean Sea, and the South China Sea.  Although coalition forces in the Gulf of Aden have increased and improved their involvement, rules of engagement prevent their military action once the vessel is boarded.  This policy stems from reticence to engage when the pirates have proven that their interest is not in harming crew or passengers which might incite military action, but in ransom which is essentially commercial in nature.

Due to the alarming increase in piracy in several high risk areas internationally, the US is focusing time and resources to address the problem.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates recognized that “there is no purely military solution,” and Vice Admiral William Gortney recently said from Bahrain that shipping companies need armed guards.

There are over 22,000 transits through the Gulf of Aden each year.  Pirates have proven adept at avoiding coalition forces.  Their sophistication permits them to hide behind a veneer as fishermen, of which there are many, and to monitor the locations of military vessels and avoid them.

After taking control of the vessel, pirates will guide the ships to Somali waters where coalition forces will not follow.  The ransom period usually takes several months of negotiation.  Beyond the ransom of several million dollars, a company loses much more: the current delivery of goods if it is a shipping vessel, the cost of lost use during the lengthy negotiations, and perhaps most importantly, its reputation and therefore future business.

Although insurance policies are beginning to emerge for shipping companies, the best and least expensive insurance is a professional security force, specifically trained and experienced to combat the pirates.  Our anti-piracy task force has proven to be successful in every phase: deterrence, delay and interdiction.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL 732-730-5335