VessEx Expands Its Ship Recovery Service to Deter and Repel Pirate Attacks
NEW ORLEANS, April 22, 2009 — Vessel Extractions, LLC (“VessEx”) (http://www.vesselextractions.com), a worldwide ship recovery specialist, today launched its Shiprotek service to protect ships from pirate attacks. VessEx protection teams, composed of former Special Forces personnel, ride with ships in high-risk waters to prevent pirates from boarding their clients’ vessels and harming the crews.
“Unfortunately, military forces and law enforcement agencies can’t patrol all of the world’s pirate-infested waters,” said Michael Bono, a maritime attorney and Managing Director of VessEx. He quoted Vice Admiral William Gortney, commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, as saying, “Shipping companies have to understand that naval forces cannot be everywhere. Self-protection measures are the best way to protect their vessels.”
Capt. Max Hardberger, VessEx’s Operations Director, adds, “The defense of a ship under armed attack cannot be left to an untrained, unarmed civilian crew. Our highly skilled and well-equipped teams offer effective and cost-efficient protection for ships going in harm’s way.”
A VessEx Shiprotek team will board a client’s vessel anywhere in the world, escort it through troubled areas, and disembark in its next safe port. During the voyage, the team assesses the ship’s security situation, trains the crew in anti-piracy techniques, implements procedures to minimize risk, and assists the crew in maintaining anti-piracy watch. When a threat is identified, the team implements its counter-piracy procedures.
For more information, visit: http://www.vesselextractions.com/shiprotek.html.
About VessEx:
Since 2002, Vessel Extractions, LLC (“VessEx”) has provided ship-recovery solutions to shipowners, marine insurers and shipping financiers. The company has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and on The Learning Channel, National Public Radio and CBC Radio-Canada. In March 2010, Broadway Books, an imprint of the world’s largest book publisher, Random House, will publish Capt. Max Hardberger’s memoirs, entitled “Seized! Battling Pirates and Recovering Stolen Ships in the World’s Most Troubled Waters.”
Interviews are available upon request.
PRESS CONTACT:
Michael Bono
Managing Director
Vessel Extractions, LLC
+1-504-613-0222
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