Following on from the recent announcement of its global expansion plans, Guardian Maritime Ltd, producers of GUARDIANTM anti-piracy barriers, wasted no time in signing a deal with SINWA Group, one of Asia Pacific’s leading marine supply and logistics companies, for it to become its first dual stockist and agent outside of the UK.
With owners seeking a more crew-friendly and environmentally responsible option in the fight against piracy, GUARDIAN, a proven alternative to razor wire, is a welcome addition to SINWA’s anti- piracy product range. SINWA will not only be able to supply and fit ship owners and operators with the GUARDIAN system, it will also hold stock in Singapore to enable faster response times to both ship fitments and the supply of replacement units by specialist teams of GUARDIAN installers.
Peter Schellenberger, Group Sales & Marketing Director, commenting on why SINWA chose GUARDIAN, said “We have been selling huge quantities of razor wire. However, through talking to the technical and safety people, we heard about a number of problems arising from its use — one of which is the safety of the seafarers as the use of razor wire may cause significant injuries. Some companies using razor wire do not buy the proper equipment, for example not buying the right gloves, which endangers seafarers and leads to accidents on-board vessels.”
Schellenberger continued, “The other issue raised by some of our major clients is the impact on the environment. Nobody talks about the issue that arises when vessels come into Singapore Port — they are not allowed to have razor wire installed. Only a very few take it down and re-install or dispose responsibly, the majority simply cut it down and throw it overboard. Multiply that by hundreds of vessels every year and you have tonnes of rusting metal in the sea. We feel that GUARDIAN offers a complete solution to both issues as well as being a highly effective piracy solution.”
GUARDIAN works by covering the ship’s safety rails with a specially designed barrier. Once installed, GUARDIAN provides a robust and simple way of making access to the ship or rig as difficult as possible. The system is currently protecting some of the world’s biggest fleets and rigs, including CMA-CGM, Maersk and BW Tankers.
David Stevens, Director said; “We are delighted to be working with SINWA, who serve more than 100 ports across the Far East. Working together will allow us to service and protect clients from piracy that are transiting HRAs even more quickly and efficiently, working out of Singapore. We are only too aware of the unpopularity of razor wire, and GUARDIAN is completely safe for crew handling and is very environmentally friendly — at the end of its long life it can even be recycled into every day products, making the greenest piracy solution ever!”