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on things. But we have an excellent network in the country that enables us to provide good data on maritime security,? he adds. BRS uses Jeppesen?s Piracy Update software to help cus- tomers identify, understand and manage the risks associated with crime at sea. It is based on intelligence from recognized and authoritative sources on global sea piracy. BRS gathers, veri es and uploads this information  ve times a day during the week and once on weekends. Piracy Update is used by mariners aboard vessels, as well as by owners, operators and insurers ashore. Several national navies use it too. Another feature of the software is the inclu- sion of weather information. This is important because pirates can?t operate in certain weather conditions. ?The challenge is not lack of information but too much of it,? says Nodland. ?So one needs a system that can process then disseminate what is timely and relevant. Piracy Update?s  ltering function allows us to select incidents and time frames that are relevant to our customers? requirements.? BRS uses Piracy Update every day to locate high-risk areas and to communicate this knowledge to customers. ?We use it when producing risk assessments for clients with a long-term outlook, such as drilling and seismic operators ? and we use it to assist clients with a much shorter term re-quirement, for example ships in transit in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean,? said Nodland. Piracy Update in actionOne example where Piracy Update helped provide valuable insight to lawyers, insurers, the owner, charterers and other parties involved, was when 14 hijackers armed with AK-47s and knives approached a 73,400-dwt Greek oil tanker on October 6, 2012. The vessel was in the region to carry out two ship-to-ship transfers off Abidjan. It had 30,000 tons of gas oil on board. Before the second operation took place, the ship switched off all lights and sailed directly south without explanation. A total of 24 Greek and Filipino crew were on board the vessel. The vessel was forced to steam southeast and then northeast towards Nigeria. Three days later the ship met a waiting vessel and the hijackers of oaded 2,600 metric tons of gasoline. The vessel was released some 50 NM east of Lagos on October 9.?Piracy Update quickly established a good overview of the geographical situation and also immediately showed us that this was an atypical attack, as it was carried out 350 nauti- cal miles west of the pirates? usual hunting grounds,? says Nodland. ?That made us uncertain at  rst; but when we used Piracy Update to compare this hijacking with what we knew about similar incidents, in terms of the modus operandi, type of ship being hijacked and cargo carried, we were soon able to tell the client what had happened, what the risks were to their vessel, cargo and crew, and what was likely to happen next.? ?When we plotted distances and calculated the ship?s speed from the point she was hijacked to where the pirates were likely to take her, we could also provide the owners with a rough timeframe for how long the hijacking was going to last,? said Nodland. Piracy Update is delivered by Jeppesen and integrated with its other products ? electronic navigation charts, ports data- base, weather and wave forecasts ? allowing Nodland?s team to quickly plan a safe seaborne medical evacuation, which was thankfully unnecessary. That said; Nodland emphasizes, ?It is not a miracle tool. It cannot tell you where the pirates will take a hijacked ship, for example. So we rely on good intel- ligence analysts and experienced area specialists as well.? Pi- racy Update may not be a miracle, but it does provide a sound technology that supports a non-military approach to combat-ing modern piracy. Kevin Reeder has 12 years of experience in corporate communications. His career track includes work for BBC World Service, Channel 4 and international NGOs. www.maritimeprofessional.com I Maritime Professional I 15MP #3 1-17.indd 15MP #3 1-17.indd 159/10/2013 10:37:45 AM9/10/2013 10:37:45 AM