Promerc Flyer

FACTS & FIGURES Full name: Acronym: Duration: Start date: Total budget: EC Funding:

Protection Measures for Merchant Ships PROMERC 24 months 1 March 2014 3.13 M€ 2.22 M€

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement no. 607685.

RESULTS PROJECT PARTNERS

The PROMERC project will deliver the following tangible project results:

INDUSTRY:

An automated voyage planning support tool to aid shore based authorities, which will balance routeing to mitigate risk against incurring additional fuel costs due to re-routeing and increased speed. (A prototype will be available for use by end-users);

www.flir.com

United Kingdom

www.eng.it Italy

A Knowledge Base and Manual to aid in the selection and use of appropriate counter piracy measures in a layered holistic defence;

www.cmre.nato.int Belgium

www.wmu.se Sweden

www.stt.aegean.gr Greece

UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN

Independent review as input for cost benefit recommendations about non-lethal technologies for pirate avoidance and opposing the boarding of vessels;

www.tno.nl

The Netherlands

END USER:

An automated decision support tool to provide seafarers with real time threat assessment, evaluation of possible courses of action and a recommended course of action (a prototype will be available for training of capabilities and use by end-users).

of piracy to merchant seamen and shipping in the most cost effective way possible through a better understanding of risk, costs and benefits.

PROMERC will achieve this.”

www.oldendorff.com Germany

SAMI www.seasecurity.org

www.seasecurity.org

United Kingdom

FLIR Project Coordinator

SERVICE:

I am committed to reducing the risk

RESEARCH:

“As a former seafarer

www.uniresearch.com The Netherlands

Huw Davies

www.promerc.eu

Flyer produced by Uniresearch

CONTACT TECHNICAL COORDINATION:

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

FLIR Systems UK Mr Huw Davies E: Huw.Davies@flir.com T: +44 20 7871 2800

Uniresearch BV Ms Wieteke van Balen E: w.vanbalen@uniresearch.com T: +31 15 275 4000

www.promerc.eu

BACKGROUND

OVERALL CONCEPT

OBJECTIVES AND AIM

Mainly as consequence of failures of governance, piracy has re-ermerged as a global security threat, most recently in the waters off the Horn of Africa, but also in West Africa, the waters off India, the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, and the Caribbean.

The PROMERC project aims to reduce the vulnerability of European Union merchant fleets and maritime supply lines to criminal abduction and extortion and thereby reduce risk to mariners, shipping, and the environment, while also reducing costs and remaining awareness of legal and social constraints. PROMERC has the following scientific and technical objectives:

Pirates tend to operate in regions with large coastal areas, high levels of commercial activity, small national naval forces, and weak regional security co-operation mechanisms.

To optimize the use of different countermeasures in concert and to develop predictive algorithms that accurately forecast the risk of attack and the probability of a successful attack on specific ships. To develop a routing algorithm that successfully balances the risk/costs of boarding avoidance and re-routing, thereby minimising overall cost of counter piracy actions.

According to International Maritime Bureau statistics worldwide rates of piracy began to increase in the early 1990s, peaking at roughly 350 to 450 reported attacks per year during the period 2000-2004, then declining by almost half by 2005. In 2007, almost half of the world’s reported pirate attacks took place in African waters, mainly near Nigeria and Somalia.

The long term solution to piracy requires building stable states and tackling poverty. This has been recognised by the international community being active in the support and development of these countries and regions. This is a complex process with many political issues and implications that will take many years.

In the short term, adequate, cost effective solutions are needed to protect seafarers and merchant shipping and to secure Europe’s maritime supply lines.

LAYERED APPROACH Route Planning Tool Risk & Vulnerability Forecasts at 3 hour interval for 10 days will be used to produce a least cost / least risk sail plan

Onboard Tactical Decision Aid Providing automated Best Practice Guidance and immediate actions to bridge teams

www.promerc.eu

To find effective and efficient ways to leverage military technology to rapidly provide high quality intelligence and surface picture information to vessels, without the need of expensive radar systems, command and control systems and highly trained officers. To validate the Countermeasures Knowledge Base and manual against the baseline scenarios, and have them evaluated extensively by the stakeholder group and end-users partners.

Training & Preperation Intelligence & Routeing Surveillance & Alerts

Guide to Counter Measures Including assesment of: - Operational Effectiveness - Cost Benefit - Legal and Social constraints

To validate the voyage planning support tool against the baseline scenarios and against historical data prior to an extended period of use by end-users to support their daily operations.

Non-lethal deterrence Armed Guards Physical barriers Citadel

www.promerc.eu