Maritime security expert Nick Davis has set up a new company to provide capability and asset enhancement through the supply of suitable security vessels, professional personnel and the application of intelligence and operational support.

The new company, Security Boat Services (SBS), focuses on all aspects of industry and government work within the maritime sector, providing assets and experience across a broad range of requirements from energy security around oil & gas fields to fisheries protection. SBS can also provide assistance to governments looking to support merchant vessels with safe transit through the Gulf of Aden or Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Drawing on Davis’s success from years of experience of the maritime security sector in the UK, Gulf of Aden and IOR, SBS is supported by a pool of owners with vessels available for immediate deployment ranging from 70-metre fisheries protection boats to a variety of fast patrol craft, interceptors and rigid hull inflatable interceptors.

The ex-military team behind SBS brings a wealth of experience covering everything from security operations to training, and includes ex-Irish Navy specialists in fisheries protection. Davis, CEO of anti-piracy and maritime security specialist Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre (MMWC) says "We saw the need for a globally capable asset provider that can offer total operational solutions which dovetail seamlessly into existing military and government Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) requirements as well as provide the energy industry with a higher qualified guard vessel capability globally. SBS fulfils that need, offering solutions to countries that may not be able to buy or technically operate military vessels, but which still need to protect their EEZ in areas such as fisheries protection, customs, border patrol, coastguard and suchlike."

Davis explains "We have the fleet and the capability to offer assets and experience to governments that want long-term help protecting either their EEZ or even merchant vessels in pirate-infested regions. Our aim is not to be a private navy, nor do we have any intention of conflicting with the coalition forces in the Gulf of Aden or Indian Ocean. Indeed, we have already visited and held meetings with the Maritime Liaison Office (MARLO) in Bahrain to ensure that the coalition forces are fully aware of any potential contracts or requests for assistance in this region, and that these are correctly de-conflicted.

"If the United Nations and G5 countries are interested, we believe our resources and experience will provide a viable solution to help Somalia strengthen its coastguard and naval capabilities, which in turn helps to ensure that the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are once again safe places for seafarers."

Tags: Security Boat Services