Maritime security trade association selects independent assessor

The London-headquartered Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) has selected  National Security Inspectorate (NSI) as its independent assessor of maritime security companies, after a competitive tendering process.

SAMI was established in 2010 to serve as an independent regulatory trade association for the maritime security industry and has a membership over 60 maritime security providers  from across the globe.

Next month, SAMI will launch a program that will see it grant full accreditation only to maritime security companies that have undergone a thorough assessmenty.

SAMI’s Accreditation Program has three stages:  due diligence of a company’s commercial standing, practices and supporting documentation; an office verification of the administrative, logistical and operational procedures to ensure that maritime security operations are conducted to a professional standard; and finally checks of deployed teams to ensure that company procedures are being followed. Accreditations will begin in early November and it is anticipated that the entire process will take between four to six months depending upon the size of the company.

The program has been developed in line with the IMO’s revised MSC Circular 1405 and upholds Circulars 1406 and 1408, as well as additional industry best practices.

SAMI Director Peter Cook says: “It was prudent for the SAMI Accreditation Programme to employ an independent, third-party to implement the scheme. Our choice of NSI was clear due to their thorough approach to inspection processes and knowledge and experience of the security sector”.

NSI Chief Executive, Jeff Little said; “We are delighted to work with SAMI, it will be a demanding remit, often working within a fast paced, challenging global environment. Our mission at NSI will be to uphold the independence and credibility of the SAMI Standard.”

October 12, 2011