Piracy was the theme of the evening at the 23rd Seatrade Awards Ceremony Dinner, held April 4 at London’s Guildhall. Westmark BV, based in The Netherlands, was named a finalist in the Safety at Sea category for its anti-piracy protection product, P-Trap.
The Seatrade Special Award for Countering Piracy was presented to Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General United Nations (UN), and a separate award was dedicated to the seafarers of the world who have been endangered by maritime piracy. The awards were presented by HRH The Princess Royal.
Non-Lethal Protection
https://www.swzonline.nl/nieuws/artikel/508[The P-Trap], a passive non-lethal protection measure against pirates, was introduced to the international shipping community last year. Since then, multiple major marine transport companies, including Dockwise, have tested the system while sailing through the Gulf of Aden and other pirate-infested regions.
The P-Trap protects seagoing vessels from unwanted boarding attempts. Once deployed it offers continuous protection without monitoring and prevents seafarers from being placed in harm’s way. The system is designed to withstand multiple simultaneously performed pirate attacks by means of two heavily constructed P-Trap booms positioned on both sides of the vessel.
Simulated Pirate Attacks
A full-scale test was performed last year by the Royal Dutch Coast Guard in conjunction with the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Organization and the Royal Dutch Navy on the North Sea. Four simulated pirate attacks at varying speeds put the product to the test with promising results—in all cases the “pirates” were unable to come within five meters of the ship.
Picture: Westmark BV
Source: https://www.hme.nl[www.hme.nl]
