The maritime consultants and counter-piracy and training provider, Eos Risk Management Ltd, have another Flag Administration Approval to add to their list. August saw official approval by the Greek State Flag Administration to employ armed security teams on-board Greek flagged ships as a counter-piracy measure.
Eos Risk Management Ltd, as a private armed maritime security service provider, is part of an effort by the international community to prevent pirate attacks in high risk areas off the East and West African coast, featured in the August print issue of Professional Security magazine.
The Greek government’s process took seven months to complete and involved due diligence checks on Eos and its employees, namely their armed security teams, to confirm their qualifications, training, experience and competency. On the day Eos received their official approval, four employees departed on transit for two weeks, travelling from Sri Lanka to India and then South Africa. This is one of many contracts by Eos, providing armed protection on flagged vessels, container ships, tankers and passenger ships.
Each contract undertaken that involves Greek flagged vessels will require regular personnel checks to maintain records and procedure, thus ensuring that Eos applies the necessary processes and procedures required to meet the terms of this official authorisation. This latest seal of approval follows their official authorisation by the Panama Maritime Authority to provide armed security on-board their vessels in High Risk Areas (HRA). In addition, they have been added to their list of private maritime security companies (PMSC) as part of this administration approval.
Eos has Stage 1 official approval from the Security Association for Maritime Industry (SAMI) in quality vetting process: and from the Security in Complex Environments Group (SCEG). These bodies are acting on behalf of their members as well as being a hub for worldwide maritime security issues such as piracy. David Johnson, Eos CEO, stated that Greek Flag Administration approval was another valuable step on the road to the professionalization of the niche maritime security sector.
“Eos now has a vast range of approvals from Flag Administrations, through coastal states, UK Government (export and firearms licensing), to P&I Club and Marine War Risk Underwriters. Many of these approvals are dependent upon the company meeting formal, audited control requirements. We never took a short term approach to this business and were one of the first wave of global companies to enter this arena, in the early 2000s before most people were aware that modern day piracy existed. The diligent approach we took is now yielding results and this is yet another example. We have been working with our Greek clients for many years and they are pleased to see that we have respected their Flag Administration with this new approval. As a company we look forward to expanding our portfolio further, with more approvals imminent.”
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