AGMS rounded off its list of alleged offences with a warning to Advanfort and its associates, “please be informed that henceforth, we will not permit any PMSCs (private maritime security companies) to disembark AdvanFort weapons / personnel to any of the AGMS floating armouries. As AdvanFort is blacklisted in Sri Lanka, any weapons / personnel of this company arriving in Sri Lanka will be arrested / confiscated and necessary legal action will be initiated.”
AGMS urged PMSCs not to "get carried away by false information circulated by Advanfort with regard to safety of Seafarers in Sri Lankan Waters, which is secure where maritime operations are carried out at present with 100% safety”.
The Sri Lankan Navy also echoed AGMS’ defence in local media, stating that the Sri Lankan Navy has identified no such threats and that no pirate activity has been detected in the recent past. “We have deployed an adequate number of Navy personnel to ensure safety in the zone. Especially, the East West shipping lane is being guarded thoroughly by Sri Lanka Navy,” said Commander Kosala Wanigsooriya.
The comments out of Sri Lanka relate to an Advanfort press release dated 13 November, where the PMSC announced that its embarkation point for westbound transits of the high risk area had been moved from Sri Lanka to the Western Malacca Strait. The reasoning behind this move was attributed to AdvanFort’s intelligence analysts, who are said to "have become aware of increasing (and increasingly organized) crime throughout Sri Lanka, including in anchorages and coastal waters.”
http://www.seatrade-global.com/news/americas/agms-slams-advanfort-sri-lanka-danger-claims.html
Anti-Piracy Guards Claim Marsec Company Left Them Defenseless in Hazardous Waters
A private military contracting firm has stirred up a storm for Estonian soldiers-for-hire, allegedly swindling them out of thousands of euros and arming security guards with World War II era guns on dangerous missions along the coast of northern Africa.
The company, Advanfort, first became a known name in Estonia when it coaxed dozens from the Estonian Navy to quit their jobs for the promised monthly salary of 2,000 euros - much more than the Navy could offer, ETV reported.
Advanfort now claims to be the biggest anti-piracy contractor in Estonia, although it is not even actually registered in the country. The company has admitted that the 100 Estonian men it has working for it - who risk their lives on the job - don't have written contracts. The Estonian representative of Advanfort works from home and uses his personal bank account to pay salaries - which haven't always been paid. Meanwhile, Advanfort cashes in a daily 1,000 euros per security guard to protect freighters from pirates in the Indian Ocean.
...
The company's CEO is a rather well-known name in some circles - Samir Farajallah's New-Fields Exhibitions has been a notable, if suspicious, player in the rebuilding of Iraq, according to journalist Adam Lichtenheld's report “Unlicensed 'New-Fields Exhibitions' Claims to Provide Clients Easy Access in Iraq.”
That company, which organizes networking conferences for major corporations, has some disappointed customers as well, reported Lichtenheld, whose public records investigation found that New-Fields’s corporate license has been revoked several times.
Samir's son Ahmed, who manages Advanfort, was arrested in July in Virginia, along with two others, for illegally purchasing 26 automatic weapons. His US citizenship was pending at the time.
Incorporated in the US, Advanfort has offices in London and apparently related ventures scattered elsewhere. According to company press releases, its number of employees grew dramatically from 200 in February to 400 in April. Around 100 of those are said to be Estonians.
No one in Estonia seems to have actually met face-to-face with the Farajallahs, whose company's ties with the US appear to be as significant as its formal presence in Estonia.
http://news.err.ee/v/varia/6082c763-d9b3-4458-abce-5dc727697cb1
Not first brush with law for ship owner
Pointing out an interesting trend in the private maritime security business, a senior official said all these small boats are known to carry flags of tax haven countries including Sierra Leone, Bahamas, Panama and Republic of Kiribati to escape accountability and taxes. MV Seaman too was operating under a Sierra Leone flag, though the security company is registered in Virginia, US.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Not-first-brush-with-law-for-ship-owner/2013/10/20/article1844838.ece
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