PRIVATE maritime security providers will be assessed by the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) through its accreditation bureau, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), a provider of home security, business security and fire safety services checks.
PRIVATE maritime security providers will be assessed by the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) through its accreditation bureau, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), a provider of home security, business security and fire safety services checks.
NSI is a Security Industry Authority (SIA) assessing body for the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS), said the NSI website. The SIA's Approved Contractor Scheme is voluntary and only covers those parts of the industry that are regulated by the SIA under the UK's Private Security Industry Act 2001, said the SIA website.
Private maritime security companies will follow a three-stage process of system checks assessing capabilities, experience and corporate standing, following guidelines set by the industry and the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO), said the SAMI statement.
Stage 1 is a due diligence check on financial, legal and insurance conditions of the company. Stage 2 will cover the physical verification of their premises, systems and documentation while the final stage will check on deployed operations.
"It has been no mean feat to forge a united front from an industry which has always followed its own path," said SAMI founder Peter Cook, reported Maritime Advocate, a legal portal.
SAMI has worked in consultation with a range of leading marine insurers, flag states, shipping associations, seafarer welfare organisations and the maritime security industry to create the programme, said the report.
