Unifire Releases New Video of its Anti-Pirate Water Cannon System

Unifire AB of Sweden (Unifire.com and PirateSafe.com) has released an exclusive new video of their ANTI PIRATE WATER CANNON SYSTEM on their YouTube channel.



The video shows Unifire's "Force 80™" remote control water cannons (a.k.a. "monitors") in action on a large chemical tanker. These impressive water cannons are high-tech and made of acid-proof, marine grade Stainless Steel 316L.



Unifire’s Anti-Pirate Water Cannon Systems are extremely powerful, yet non-lethal, devices for getting tough with pirates and hijackers. The systems are comprised of up to 8 powerful water cannons, which are strategically placed around the ship. The cannons draw sea water from the ship’s existing fire main. The cannons can be networked together for simple control from the bridge.

According to Unifire AB's Managing Director, Mattias Eggert, "We have seen a substantial increase in sales of our anti-pirate water cannon systems in 2011, and particularly during recent months. In our view, ship owners and operators are finally beginning to take significant and serious action to properly protect their ships, including by outfitting their ships with effective self-defense equipment, such as our SeaSerpent™ and our Force 50 and Force 80 anti-pirate water cannon systems. As industry leaders are now outfitting their ships, we expect many others to follow in the coming months and years."

The Force 80 water cannon sprays up to 5000 liters (1,350 US Gallons) per minute at pressures of up to 10 bars (145 PSI). Unifire says their cannons remotely control the high-pressure water stream from the safety of the bridge or citadel, directly onto pirates and into their skiff. Moreover, they can be controlled in semiautomatic mode by deploying prerecorded spray patterns, and can even be combined with the ship's tracking systems for fully automatic protection.

Since these systems are non-lethal, they avoid the numerous pitfalls and complications associated with equipping ships with armed guards, while still providing the benefits of a powerful way to defend the crew and ship. Moreover, these cannons are also highly effective in suppressing fires, adding further to the overall safety of a ship.

For more information contact Unifire AB on +46 303 248 403 or visit PirateSafe.com.

New Anti-Pirate Water Cannon Video Released by Unifire AB

Unifire AB of Sweden has released a new video depicting its world-renowned anti-pirate water cannons. This short video shows conceptually how the system works to protect ships and marine vessels from pirates and hijackers.

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A playlist of related videos about the system can be watched by clicking here or or view Unifire's blog.

For more information on the system, visit PirateSafe.com and Unifire.com or visit Unifire's YouTube Channel or call +46 303 248 400.

Unifire AB Sponsors the 3rd Maritime Piracy and Security Conference in Dubai, Feb 1-2, 2012.

February 1-2, 2012

Unifire AB of Sweden (Unifire.com and PirateSafe.com) Sponsors the 3rd Maritime Piracy & Security Conference in Dubai, UAE.




According to the web site of the organizers, Active Communications International,

Throughout the 2 days you will have the opportunity to hear industry leaders, naval forces and government figures discuss and debate the best approaches for ensuring safety at sea and develop a long-term solution to a global problem:

• Understand the latest global trends of threats to maritime safety
• Learn how to implement Best Management Practices to safeguard your cargo, crew and vessel, as well as integrating armed security units onboard
• Hear first-hand accounts from coastguards, navies and ship operators on past situations
• Discuss the best long term solutions with wider industry experts from governments and recognised industry bodies

Unifire’s Director of International Sales & Marketing, Mr Roger Barrett James, Esq., states that “Unifire is committed to protecting ships and off-shore vessels from the threat of pirate and hijacking attacks. Our Sponsorship of, and participation in, the 3rd Maritime Piracy & Security Conference is part of our on-going efforts to both better understand the challenges faced by the industry and to communicate our approach to increasing non-lethal protection.”

More information can be found at the organizer’s site devoted to the conference here.

New Anti Pirate Water Cannon System Video Released by Unifire AB

Unifire AB of Sweden (Unifire.com and PirateSafe.com) has released an exclusive new video of their ANTI PIRATE WATER CANNON SYSTEM (click the image below to view the video).


This video shows Unifire's "Force 80™" remote control water cannons (a.k.a. "monitors") in action on a large chemical tanker. These impressive water cannons are high-tech and made of acid-proof, marine grade Stainless Steel 316L.

Unifire’s Anti-Pirate Water Cannon Systems are extremely powerful, yet non-lethal, devices for getting tough with pirates and hijackers. The systems are comprised of up to 8 powerful water cannons, which are strategically placed around the ship. The cannons draw sea water from the ship’s existing fire main. The cannons can be networked together for simple control from the bridge.

According to Unifire AB's Managing Director, Mattias Eggert, "We have seen a substantial increase in sales of our anti-pirate water cannon systems in 2011, and particularly during recent months. In our view, ship owners and operators are finally beginning to take significant and serious action to properly protect their ships, including by outfitting their ships with effective self-defense equipment, such as our SeaSerpent™ and our Force 50 and Force 80 anti-pirate water cannon systems. As industry leaders are now outfitting their ships, we expect many others to follow in the coming months and years."

The Force 80 water cannon sprays up to 5000 liters (1,350 US Gallons) per minute at pressures of up to 10 bars (145 PSI). Unifire says their cannons remotely control the high-pressure water stream from the safety of the bridge or citadel, directly onto pirates and into their skiff. Moreover, they can be controlled in semiautomatic mode by deploying in prerecorded spray patterns, and can even be combined with other tracking systems for fully automatic protection.

Since these systems are non-lethal, they avoids the numerous pitfalls and complications associated with equipping ships with armed guards, while still providing ships a powerful weapon with which to defend themselves. Moreover, these cannons are also highly effective in suppressing fires, adding further to the overall safety of a ship.

For more information contact Unifire AB on +46 303 248 403 or visit PirateSafe.com.

Maersk Tests Unifire SeaSerpent™ Anti-Pirate Water Cannon

Unifire’s SeaSerpent™ Anti-Pirate Water Cannon System

Successfully Tested

Unifire AB of Sweden has just released a new, exclusive video on its updated web site PirateSafe.com showing the testing of its SeaSerpent™ portable Anti-Pirate Water Cannon System.

According to Unifire spokesman Roger Barrett James, the portable version of the Unifire Anti-Pirate Water Cannon System, called the SeaSerpent, was successfully tested in February, 2010, by the Admiral Danish Fleet and the Danish Ship Owners Association in cooperation with shipping giant Maersk.

James also states that, "The SeaSerpent was recently developed by Unifire to address the need for fleets to be able to economically and rapidly deploy water cannons to protect crew and cargo during passage through risky waters, and then be able to take down, transport, and re-deploy the same cannons on other ships in the fleet."

The test shown in the newly released video was conducted at sea on the HDMS Gunnar Seidenfaden of the Royal Danish Navy. According to James, "during the test, the ship's pump provided only about half of the volume and pressure of water recommended for use with Unifire's SeaSerpent cannon. Despite this, the cannon still performed impressively, and clearly presented an effective means of non-lethal, self-defense by accurately directing a powerful jet stream of water capable of filling a pirate's skiff with water very quickly and seriously hampering the efforts of anyone coming into contact with the powerful stream."

In a recent Maersk Post article by Rasmus Nord Jørgensen (February, 2010), Maersk’s Group Security head, Flemming Dahl Jensen, states, “I’m not disappointed. I’m pretty confident that the [Unifire] water cannons can slow down a skiff.” The article goes on to say that, “The [Unifire] remotely-controlled water cannon is one of the countermeasures being tested [by Maersk] today. Its main advantage is that seafarers can potentially hose approaching vessels without exposing themselves to attacks. The cannon is connected to the vessels’ water pumps... The aim is to blast enough water into an approaching pirate skiff to slow it down and let the merchant vessel escape unharmed, or buy enough time to let naval forces intervene.”


More information about the SeaSerpent and other Unifire Anti-Pirate Water Cannon Systems utilizing Force monitors offered by Unifire AB are available at PirateSafe.com and by writing to sales@unifire.com or calling +46 303 248 400.

Combating the Piracy Problem - A Call for Action & The Need for Standardization

The problem of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and many other hot spots is a very real and growing problem that plagues the shipping industry.

As an Associate Member of the INTERTANKO, where we sit on the Advisory Panel on Piracy and Maritime Security, Unifire AB is working hard with other industry professionals to understand and address the many facets of the piracy problem.

The maritime industry must begin confronting the piracy problem in a very real way, including by investing in training, procedures and the acquisition of non-lethal equipment designed to protect ships and their crew.

Among other things, ship owners and operators are generally held legally liable to take reasonable steps to protect their crew from foreseeable dangers, including pirate attacks. Lawsuits by pirate attack victims (crew members) are picking up against their employers (ship owners/operators). We expect this trend to increase. As such lawsuits settle and/or result in large verdicts, insurance rates will also continue to rise. Even absent such suits, insurance rates are rising as a result of larger and larger ransoms being paid to pirates. Furthermore, crew members are more and more reluctant to serve in risky waters and it's Unifire's understanding that this is beginning to cause difficulties for some operators.

Unifire is actively working with other industry professionals to raise the level of information and transparency regarding the variety of anti-piracy equipment and the effectiveness thereof. We are, among other things, calling for standardization and independent evaluation of equipment so that ship owners and operators may have some sense of confidence about the ability of equipment to protect their ships.

Yet, despite the growing problem and increasing costs and liability associated with pirate attacks, ship owners and operators remain reluctant to invest properly in self-defense procedures, training and equipment. There are a number of reasons for this. Unifire forecasts that this will change in the fairly near future.

Based on Unifire's independent research and information that we have gathered to date from the industry, conferences, ship owners and operators, and other security advisers and industry
professionals, we have drawn the following conclusions (among others):

• The problem of pirate attacks is very real, costly, and persistent. By some estimates, the risk of attack by pirates in high-risk areas greatly exceeds the risk of fire. All ships are mandatorily equipped with firefighting equipment, yet we are aware of no regulations requiring any means of protection whatsoever against pirate attacks.

• The industry lacks clear guidance and standards in terms of best practices for anti-piracy protection (and perhaps most acutely when it comes to equipment). The OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum), in cooperation with IOO, Intergargo, Intertanko and SIGTTO, has produced a guide entitled, "Piracy - The East Africa/Somalia Situation. Practical Measures to Avoid, Deter or Delay Piracy Attacks" (Published by Witherby Seamanship International Ltd., www.witherbyseamanship.com). This publication is, in Unifire's opinion, a good start, but does not go far enough. Further clarification and standardization is clearly necessary.
  

• Ship owners and operators are reluctant to invest in technologies which in practice may have unknown, unproven or unreliable and/or negligible effect.
  

• Even assuming that proper equipment can be identified, ship owners and operators are reluctant to be the first to invest significantly in equipment and training because they view the expense to outweigh the perceived benefits. This is compounded by the lack of regulation and the lack of custom in the industry to take certain measures for self-defense, as well as the global economical downturn and other factors. Ship owners and operators tend to think to themselves, "Why should we be first to go to this expense and hassle? As long as others are doing nothing, we won't either!"
  

• Ship owners and operators so far have viewed the costs associated with pirate attacks to be less than would be the cost to implement a proper, company-wide strategy, training and procurement of equipment to provide proper self defense against pirates. This is particularly the case as long as insurers are not prepared to reduce insurance rates. At the same time, however, the current costs of insurance and damages associated with pirate attacks is increasing and is truly problematic.

• Insurance companies are paying out ever-increasing amounts and must raise their rates accordingly. Payouts hurt the underwriters, their insureds (as a result of exorbitant and ever-rising rates), and serve to encourage yet more pirate attacks given successful collection of ransoms in the millions of dollars.
  

• As a whole, the insurance industry is also uncertain about what equipment and standards are effective and thus warrant reducing their rates. Again, there are no standards by which to judge whether particular equipment is effective, cost efficient, and the extent to which it may reduce risk. So long as there lacks a set of standards by which to judge the efficacy of equipment, policies and procedures can be judged, insurers will remain unlikely to reduce rates even for clients who are equipped with effective equipment.
  

• State actors are more and more reluctant to protect civilians and the commercial industry against pirate attacks and certainly do not want to be counted on as the primary solution to the problem. Moreover, their presence is inadequate even in the areas in which they patrol, both due to the vastness of the seas and the intelligence capabilities of the pirates.

• Having armed security guards on board to protect a ship is of very questionable legality and viewed by most professionals to be highly inadvisable. Similarly, carrying weapons on ships for self defense is impracticable, very risky and ill-advised. All self defense methods employed should therefore be non-lethal.

A net savings industry-wide can be achieved only if the respective ship owners and operators take decisive measures to protect themselves and thereby dissuade attacks. This can be achieved by developing standards that are:

1. effective in combating piracy;
2. economical;
   
3. widely adopted by ship owners & operators; and
   
4. accepted by insurance carriers who provide rate reductions for their insureds who are in compliance with the standards.

Moreover, if effective policies and procedures are adopted on a large scale, piracy attacks will likely diminish as pirates find it more and more difficult to gain access to ships.

Based on these conclusions, Unifire recommends and calls for the development and adopting of an industry-wide set of objective standards against which equipment, policies and practices can be evaluated, judged and rated. To this aim, Unifire asks all interested parties--whether political bodies, equipment manufacturers, ship owners and operators, lawyers, lawmakers--to join Unifire in the creation of a credible, sensible and effective set of standards.

Once such standards are adopted they then must be implemented by ship owners and operators. The insurance industry can also base their rates upon the level of adherence to the standards; and ship owners and operators will have collective bargaining power to demand rate reductions by being able, for the first time, to point to standards that have been tested for effectiveness and demonstrating their compliance therewith.

Unifire proposes that standards should be set for the following aspects of combating piracy:

1. Intelligence Gathering & Sharing (for avoidance of attacks in the first place);
2. Early Warning & Detection Equipment and Practices (for early detection and evasion);
3. Procedures Upon Detection; and
4. Equipment (Broken down and evaluated by categories, e.g.: bridge hardening devices, razor wire and similar, acoustic devices, water cannons, lasers, etc.)

Service providers and manufacturers in each of the above categories could be invited to demonstrate their technologies and submit papers describing their view of best practices. Each technology would be evaluated against pre-determined criteria and compared and ranked against others in their class, perhaps on a point scale. Such criteria might include, for example: effectiveness; cost; reliability; ease of use; time and ease to install or implement; and availability.

Unifire believes that the only way to make a significant difference in the fight against pirates is through industry-wide collaboration. Obtaining such collaboration can only be effectively done through either political action or voluntarily through collective action by the shipping industry itself.

Unifire is working with INTERTANKO to commence dialog among its members on this topic and seek the will and commitment to take action to establish and oversee the implementation of standards such as those mentioned herein. Unifire also is working with other partners on the development of standards for the industry.

We believe that clarity of effective policy and guidance in the industry will benefit the industry as a whole, as well as the individual, respective parties and entities comprising it (ranging from ship owners and operators to insurance underwriters to service and equipment providers).

All interested individuals and companies who seek to help Unifire in the fight against pirates are asked to contact Roger Barrett James of Unifire AB by email to roger@unifire.com. Together we can make a significant impact on the piracy problem and help save lives and property.

Written by Roger Barrett James, Attorney at Law, Unifire AB. © Copyright 2010, Unifire AB. All Rights Reserved.

Water Cannons for Protecting Ships from Pirate Attacks

Water cannons have been used for to protect ships from pirates with fairly effective results.

One problem with water cannons used for this purpose has traditionally been that the water cannons have not been specifically designed or placed to effectively protect the ships from pirates, but rather have been designed to protect them against fire.

Swedish fire equipment manufacturer, Unifire AB, has developed an "Anti-Pirate Water Cannon System" or APWCS, which is designed specifically to protect ships, non-lethally, from pirates. The system places the cannons strategically on the ship's perimeter in key locations that can aim at any pirates trying to gain access to the ship.

This system is remote controlled from the bridge and/or other safe location, allowing all persons to get off the deck and out of the path of bullets during a pirate attack. Moreover, the cannons are all programmed with an automatic recorded spray pattern that can be played in a loop at the press of a button. So, in a panic situation, one button pressed can still help protect the ship.

Unifire has devoted a web site to this system at PirateSafe.com.

I am interested in getting feedback from anyone who has used water cannons to defend against pirates and what that experience was like. How were the cannons located on the ship? How were they controlled? (Manually? Remotely?)