Pirate Activity Reaches New High in Indian Ocean and Along East African Coast

Drum Cussac Incident Mapping and Attack Analysis Software Seen as Critical in Monitoring Changing Environment

POOLE DORSET, England, December 6, 2010 - A big shift is taking place in the rate of piracy in the Gulf of Aden,
Indian Ocean and off the east coast of Africa.

Drum Cussac, one of the world's leading anti-piracy and maritime security
consultancy firms says that over the past three months (September to
November) piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden has dropped dramatically, while
activity in the Indian Ocean and along the east coast of Africa have
collectively increased nearly 60 percent - reaching an all-time high.

"Just in the last couple of weeks we have seen numerous Pirate Action
Groups operating in the northern Somali Basin," said David Pickard, Head of
Maritime at Drum Cussac. "This means ship operators in the region may need to
consider adjusting their routes and tactics accordingly," he said.

Drum Cussac's Automated Piracy Threat Assessment System (APTAS) is a
critical tool for analysing, reporting and making these types of strategic
assessments. It enables users to create shipping routes throughout the world
by balancing their risk tolerances against known threats and available
mitigation measures.

Low risk routes are developed from detailed information and maps
generated by APTAS that show users exactly where pirate attacks are
occurring, areas of current threat, pirate action group activity and other
critical information.

However, even once a route is set, a piracy incident in proximity to any
point along the route could change its risk level at any time. When this
occurs, APTAS automatically provides users with details on the incident -
giving the captain and ship operators an opportunity to modify their route
and/or implement appropriate mitigation strategies.

"Getting verified information as it becomes available is critical,"
Pickard said. "We are seeing that the area of a failed attack remains at high
risk for successive attacks over the following hours. APTAS can provide the
early warning."

As of 0h00 GMT, 1 December, an analysis of APTAS data showed the
following trend of incidents occurring within and outside the Gulf of Aden.

              Total number    Number of      Number of      Percentage
              of incidents  incidents in    incidents        outside
               recorded         GoA        outside GoA         GoA
    September     32             16              16            50%
    October       40              8              32            80%
    November      51              4              47            92%

"The increase of incidents outside of the Gulf of Aden can be partially
attributed to the transitioning monsoon seasons and the resulting calmer
seas," Pickard said. "But as military efforts and tactics within the Gulf of
Aden become more effective, the pirates appear to be seeking out less risky
targets in the Indian Ocean and along the East African Coast where military
response can be slower."

"Even as the number of incidents is on the rise with the improving
weather conditions, the year-over-year data is showing us that robust and
effective counter-piracy measures are proving effective in lowering attack
success rates," Pickard said. "Having access to piracy incident information
both before and during a voyage is a critical part of those measures, as is
the effective use of the Best Management Practices (BMP) outlined in the BMP
document disseminated by coalition forces."

Editor's Notes:

Drum Cussac is a leading international business risk consultancy,
committed to protecting personnel, assets, profits and reputation. We
specialise in developing mitigating strategies, enabling clients to convert
risk management into competitive advantage. We are recognised experts,
already providing bespoke, flexible and fully supportive solutions to a
number of leading international companies, government agencies and private
clients.

Drum Cussac's Maritime Division is a market leader in anti-piracy and
maritime security consultancy. We provide specialist advice and security
solutions globally to the oil and gas industry, commercial vessels, offshore
operators, superyachts, port facilities and the energy sector. We have
developed an international reputation for our understanding of maritime
protection and port facility security.

www.drum-cussac.com

Kristiane Clear, Marketing Assistant of Drum Cussac, +44(0)1202-802-062, Mobile: +44(0)7787-227-336, kjc at drum-cussac.com