Although piracy has been recorded as a maritime problem for hundreds of years, piracy has re-emerged off the coast of Somalia, Indonesia, the African coast and Central America.
Whilst the financial cost of piracy can be put into numbers, the effect the experience may have on a crew and their families back home is much less tangible. The fear of pirates hijacking vessels is an all too real problem around some of the world’s coastlines, forcing ship-owners to fit their vessels with a varying array of defences, like razor wire, which is expensive, destructive and frequently needs replacing.
One new addition to the anti-piracy armoury available to ship-owners is Guardian. This anti-intrusion barrier is cost-effective, easy to install, and most importantly, has already fought off a pirate attack.
Guardian anti-piracy boarding barrier
The Guardian barrier is constructed from a specified polymer-grade plastic that is recyclable, contains a high UV protection, and is highly resistant to a range of chemicals including acids, alkaloids and oils. It is impact resistant and capable of absorbing impact without shattering.
The Guardian fights against pirates by forming a barrier over the ship’s safety rails, leaving grappling hooks and ladders unable to gain purchase on the ship. Should a grappling hook manage to find something on deck to attach itself to, the Guardian is virtually impossible to climb over and offers no hand holds. In addition to this, the Guardian also acts as a visual barrier, giving the crew a level of invisibility against the pirates. Each Guardian barrier is 1,000mm wide and they are formed by locking together, enabling them to fit the size of any safety rail.
Benefits of the Guardian barrier
When compared with rival forms of piracy protection, the Guardian is more cost-effective, easier to install and remove and is a safer alternative for the ship’s crew as it does not require direct confrontation. Unlike razor wire, which frequently needs replacing and is a health and safety hazard, the Guardian is guaranteed to last for five years and can easily be attached and removed. In fact, it can even be swapped between ships. Most importantly, however, the Guardian effectively protects ships from piracy attacks without the need of direct confrontation, an option which jeopardises the lives of the ship’s crew.
About Marine & Auto Security Solutions
The Guardian was created by husband and wife team Teresa and David Stevens, who have worked within the ship industry for several years creating products to counter terrorism/piracy issues. After various discussions on piracy issues with professionals in the shipping industry, Teresa created the Guardian as a safe and effective security solution to block pirates from boarding the ship. Today several blue chip shipping companies have installed the Guardian on their fleets, which is the only product of its kind on the market.