Increasing Piracy Changes Volvo Ocean Race's Route

  • Aug 24, 2011

Organizers of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, a major yachting event that begins Oct. 29 in Alicante, Spain will follow a course around Africa, across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and ultimately to Galway, Ireland, in July 2012. Recently announced on Aug. 18, organizers have redrawn routes for the second and third legs because of increasing piracy in the Indian Ocean. The competing boats would have sailed through the Indian Ocean on the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi and again in the third leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya in China. Maritime safety experts from Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd. and the sport's governing body, the International Sailing Federation, advised them to make the changes because crews faced too much risk.

"This has been an incredibly difficult decision," Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive Knut Frostad said in a news release. "We have consulted leading naval and commercial intelligence experts, and their advice could not have been clearer: 'Do not risk it.'"

The crews now will race from Cape Town to an undisclosed "safe haven" port, be transported closer to Abu Dhabi, and then complete the leg from there, with the process reversed for the third leg before the race continues to Sanya. This means the boats will still race into Abu Dhabi and can compete in an in-port race there.

Dryad told the organizers that piracy is well organized and has expanded into a vast area off the coast of Somalia, with a record 1,181 seafarers kidnapped by pirates in 2010. "The measures taken by the Volvo Ocean Race are very much in line with the advice that the International Sailing Federation has been giving for some time," said ISAF Secretary General Jerome Pels.
 
The visit to Abu Dhabi, set to host the race from Dec. 30, 2011, to Jan. 14, 2012, is the first time this race will have visited the Middle East.

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.