Press Releases

10/ 19/ 2012 - Interview with Former Pirate Alley Commander Terry McKnight
10/ 19/ 2012 - Former Pirate Alley Commander Terry McKnight: "Because piracy is on the wane, I hope navies won't start to pull out."
09/ 12/ 2012 - AdvanFort Implements Quality Assurance Program

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In the News

10/29/2012 - A Look At AdvanFort's Hurricane Preparations
10/26/2012 - Yachting flotillas offer bigger 'target' for pirates
10/26/2012 - African Union sets deadline for continent-wide maritime strategy
10/25/2012 - 'Al Capone' strategy to defeat piracy

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Piracy Threat Analysis

11/1/2012 - There were three reported incidents worldwide this week. One additional incident occurred last week but was reported late. Piracy threat level for the Horn of Africa/Indian Ocean should remain moderate as weather conditions remain conducive to small boat operations.

The AdvanFort Company, reinforcing its commitment to quality operations, has instituted its Quality Assurance program. The multi-faceted program includes seeking counsel from outside expert advisors; independent auditing of training and operations programs; accreditation from professional and trade organizations; feedback from vessel masters who interact with AdvanFort operators; and an ombudsman program for the operators themselves.

The new Board of Advisors is comprised of four outstanding individuals: Mr. Charles Dragonette, who is retiring as Senior Commercial Maritime Operations Analyst at the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence's Nimitz Operation Intelligence Center; Joel Whitehead, whose last post with the Coast Guard was as Commander of the 8th Coast Guard District which covers 26 states, more than 1,200 miles of coastline and 10,300 miles of inland waterways from Florida to Mexico and including the entire navigable lengths of the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee River systems.

AdvanFort has reached out to the National and International Maritime Law Enforcement Academies, which have certified AdvanFort's operator training program; and will continue to independently audit training, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Rules of Use of Force and other operational aspects of the company.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral (Ret.) Terence E. "Terry" McKnight (left), the pioneering U.S. Commander of Task Force 151 off the coast of Somalia and author of the new book, Pirate Alley, published by the Naval Institute Press, met recently with AdvanFort President William H. Watson (right) and the company's Washington, D.C. staff, to talk about the continuing challenges posed by piracy as a transnational security threat and why leading private security companies are key to help counter that threat.

Robert M. Wells, Director of Training for the National and International Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, right, presents a Document of Certification to William H. Watson, President of AdvanFort, attesting to the fact that he company's Counter Piracy Security Training programs meet or exceeds international standards. The certification followed a detailed audit of the programs.

Robert M. Wells, Director of Training for the National and International Maritime Law Enforcement Academies, right, presents a Document of Certification to William H. Watson, President of AdvanFort, attesting to the fact that he company's Counter Piracy Security Training programs meet or exceeds international standards. The certification followed a detailed audit of the programs.

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Press Releases

In the News

Piracy Threat Analysis

Quality Assurance Program

Board of Advisors

External Audits