Certification to ISO/PAS 28007 of ship security guards – who may be armed – featured in the March 2014 print issue of Professional Security magazine.
The shipping industry should adopt a unified international standard to judge and regulate security services provided by private contractors, says a maritime security company.
Gerry Northwood OBE, COO of GoAGT, which recently became ISO/PAS 28007 certified, said: “Private maritime security companies (PMSCs) are an important part of the supply chain, protecting seafarers globally in high risk areas. Where substandard operators have been caught out cutting corners and have found themselves in hot water with local and national authorities, it has placed everyone in the industry at risk.”
“It is extremely important that the shipping industry demands that internationally recognised standards such as ISO/PAS 28007 are implemented to ensure PMSCs are capable of delivering a professional service.
“The problem is that most ship-owners and managers still have little idea of what ISO/PAS 28007 is. While it is quite right that price is an important factor in selecting a PMSC, this needs to be complemented with a focus on quality of service. The assets being protected are worth millions of dollars and seafarers’ lives are potentially at risk. The reputational hit should it go wrong could be enormous and an over focus on price is the wrong way to be heading when there are lives at stake”.
According to the Malta-based company, maritime security companies worldwide operate in an increasingly complex and regulated arena. For this reason, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) sought security management standards that would improve supply chain compliance among the PMSC sector. ISO/PAS 28007 provides this framework for PMSCs to apply process to recruit and train armed security teams, equip them, ensure supplier performance and to apply rules of the use of force.
David Derrick, UK Business Centre Manager at certification body Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), added: “The publication of ISO/PAS 28007 now allows PMSCs to demonstrate compliance with a set of rigorous requirements, giving them the opportunity to demonstrate to ship owners and managers their commitment to customer service, quality, safety and risk management processes.”
GoAGT achieved the ISO/PAS 28007 certification on March 7, after finishing the second stage of the audit carried out LRQA. The company is one of only a select few PMSCs that have achieved this certification, in a security sector of over 100 companies.
On GoAGT’s certification, David Derrick said: “We are delighted to certify GoAGT which has clearly shown itself able to deal with the complex and detailed requirements of ISO/PAS 28007 and we look forward to working with them on the ongoing assessment programme.”
Visit http://goagt.org/
