Vessel Security and Maritime Insurance

By Roger L. Tomberlin
Today, the international community fails to realize that sea piracy still has not been eliminated.  Not only has piracy never been eradicated, but the number of pirate and terrorist attacks on ships has tripled in the past decade alone elevating piracy to its highest level in history.  Contrary to the stereotype, intelligence [...]

When will the Merchant Shipping community tighten security?

According to the Associated Press (2008), pirates seized the 530-foot-long freighter Faina off of the coast of Somalia. The ship was carrying 33 T-72 tanks, a substantial quantity of ammunition, and spare parts. This is a series of lucrative business adventures of coastal pirate groups who undertake these swift measures to financially assist themselves [...]

Terrorism’s Effect on Maritime Shipping

By: Roger L. Tomberlin
In the first years of the nineteenth century, Mediterranean pirates, with the support of the Barbary States of northern Africa, would capture merchant ships, terrorize their crews, and hold the ship for ransom. In response, the United States launched the Barbary wars, the first successful effort by the young republic to protect [...]