IMB, SSI form joint security venture

IMB, SSI form joint security venture    The International Maritime Bureau, a London-based provider of services to prevent losses by maritime organizations from cargo crime, and the Security Solutions International Group, a provider of risk management and loss prevention services, have formed a joint venture to help clients meet security requirements imposed by government and international authorities.
      An early task for the new group will be assisting ports and shipping groups to comply by a June 2004 deadline with requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPS), introduced last December by the International Maritime Organization.
   Capt. Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IBM, said the joint venture, through a network of security partners and an association with Interpol, could be useful to clients whose operations were at risk from piracy, shipping fraud and general criminal activity.
   The International Maritime Bureau runs the Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur. Security Solutions’ clients include the U.S. State Department, the United Nations and diplomatic missions.
   IBM and SSI said John Saunders, a former chief inspector from the Port of London police, and Bob Weir, a former Canadian Intelligence service officer, have been appointed as senior consultants to the IMB-SSI joint venture.