Feature 2 | WEST AFRICA Investing in protection


Piracy off West Africa is prompting equipment manufacturers to develop countermeasures, for both vessels and platforms within the region.


P


lentiful as the territory’s oil and gas reserves may be, exploration and production teams in West


Africa still must contend with an ongoing menace in the form of maritime piracy. Although Somalia, on the continent’s east coast, dominated International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reports in 2011, with 237 attacks recorded in that location last year, West Africa, particularly the Gulf of Guinea, remains a high-risk hotspot. Ten attacks were logged off the coast


of Nigeria last year, although the IMB estimates that


the actual number of


incidents is actually closer to 44 when one factors in unreported attacks. Add the risk of politically motivated or terrorist assaults on vessels and structures and it is clear that oil and gas operators should exercise caution when conducting activities within West African waters. In response to the pirate threat, Inchcape


Shipping Services (ISS) and Vessel Protection Services (VPS) have jointly launched a range of anti-piracy solutions. Although primarily aimed at ocean-going vessels, ISS project manager for the VPS hub Graham Fee tells Offshore Marine Technology that the solutions are “suitable for any marine environment and would be easily adapted to platforms and / or support vessels.” VPS believes that crews are currently


subjected to unnecessary levels of risk, as the group’s sales director, Edwin Unwin, points out: “Time and again we see bullet- proof vests issued to crews without hard armour plates, and vessels using 8mm mild steel to protect the bridge, internal doors and citadels, which will do nothing against a round from an AK47. Similarly, using double layers of standard mesh fencing to counter the threat of a rocket-propelled grenade [RPG] attack will actually increase the chance of a lethal detonation.”


Family of solutions Together, VPS and ISS have introduced four key anti-piracy countermeasures. Te first, the Light Armour System against Shaped


22


ISS and VPS have supplied 360degs ship protection for two research vessels operating off southern- eastern Africa.


Ordnance (LASSO), comprises a high tensile steel mesh, deployed around the bridge, which has been developed to short circuit RPG projectiles and to prevent the explosive shape charge, which is typically capable of blasting through solid walls, from causing damage to the vessel’s interior. Te mesh nature of the LASSO enables the ship’s master to retain full visibility, and the item can be removed when the vessel moves out of the high-risk area. Also available is Ramor 500


lightweight, armoured steel, developed with a 6.5mm thickness and intended to protect the vessel’s bridge and access points. According to VPS, the Ramor 500 solution, which is certified by Italian class society RINa, is able to withstand multiple hits from high velocity rifle rounds, and, like the LASSO, can be removed easily when the vessel leaves areas of high pirate activity. Meanwhile, the Composite Armour


range includes Lloyd’s Register-approved ballistic doors, weapons cabinets and removable ballistic panels,


for


added bridge and internal access area protection, while, fourth and finally, the ISS/VPS-provided Anti-Ballistic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) range provides direct protection for individual crew members, in the form of


body armour, helmets, hard armour plates and soſt armour panels. Te PPE has been formulated to protect wearers against bullet fragmentation and blunt trauma, and is certified to National Institute of Justice level 01.01.04, global test criteria for body armour.


the


Live ammo testing Testing was mainly conducted on firing ranges, with live ammo fired at the products, which, in the case of the LASSO, involved setting up the mesh netting around an armoured personnel carrier, and firing live RPGs at the object from a number of different angles. Fee says: “When it comes to ballistic protection, ship owners need real counsel on the kind of solutions to adopt. Budgets are tight given the current economic climate, however there’s no point in just going for the cheapest material that may tick a compliance box but doesn’t work during an attack and invalidates insurance.” Fee confirms that ISS and VPS have


so far supplied 360degs ship protection for two research vessels operating off southern-eastern Africa, and he adds: “We are currently in negotiations with a couple of principals operating between West Africa and North / South America.” OMT


Offshore Marine Technology 1st Quarter 2012


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