by Hans | April 1st, 2010
The security risk of a tug and towage operation is much greater than that of a standard merchant vessel. This is due tot he slow speed, lack of maneuverability, the very low free board of the tug and the fact that the asset is towed from 500 – 700 meters behind the tug.
Tugs towing assets are particularly vulnerable in more geographic areas than the standard merchant vessel, such as the South China Sea, Philippines, West Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia and along with the known high piracy areas of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
In addition to the threat of boarding / hijacking, is the threat of theft. We have had reports in which the tug arrived at its destination, only to find that much of the material on the barge being towed had been stolen during the transit. Obviously, this theft occurs mostly at night, and due to the asset being towed so far behind the tug, there is no way to monitor small boats approaching from the rear.
Attack Clusters
Security escorts for tug and towage operations do not need to be overly expensive, however, security costs should be planned along with costing of all other aspects of the towage operation. We have found, in many cases, tug companies ask for a quotation for a security escort when they are ready to get underway. Of course this now causes a problem in two aspects. First, the towage operation could be significantly delayed, as it may take time to get the proper security in place. Secondly, the cost of security will cause a significant impact on the profitability of the towage operation, as it was not calculated in the initial costing for the bid of the contract.
We are not implying that an armed security escort would be necessary for all towage operations, however, an initial assessment of risk is available, then sound decisions can be made according to the assessed risk of the transit. At that time, if security is considered, the cost of the security should be included in the overall bid of the towage contract. This can place you one step ahead of your competition, and certainly eliminate unnecessary surprises caused when security is an after-thought.
Michael Murrell CEO ISSG Holdings, Ltd www.issg-seamarshals.com
