The Business of Kidnapping

James Reese, CEO, TigerSwan

Kidnapping is a serious and real threat when you travel to emerging markets and high-risk parts of the world. Criminals generate large profits and operate like a business. Kidnappers not only target executives for ransom or political gain, but also Western business associates from lucrative industries including oil and gas.

The number of reported kidnapping cases continues to grow each year. According to industry experts, there has been a dramatic increase in reported kidnappings in high-risk countries from 2012 through the first six months of 2013. The current top high-risk countries are Nigeria and Mexico. Mexico had 555 reported kidnappings between January and April 2013 compared with 417 incidents during the same time period last year. Yemen also placed particularly high on the list this year as its government remains unable to enforce its justice system or any authority.

Kidnapping can describe a wide spectrum of scenarios. Aside from the most common form of abduction, kidnap for ransom, criminals also engage in express (lightning) kidnappings where victims are temporarily detained and their bank accounts drained through coerced bank transactions. More disturbingly, kidnappers have begun abducting individuals and selling them to terrorist organizations who use the victims for political gain. Your company cannot afford to put you, the most precious commodity, in a vulnerable position.

Kidnappers look for easy targets. They observe and prey on travelers who create patterns and habits such as taking the same routes to and from work. Cell phone records, travel itineraries, and background information are often collected in dangerous countries with help from telephone service providers and corrupt local law enforcement. Something as simple as a tweet or Facebook post from a corporate employee or family member mentioning your whereabouts can lead to an attack.

The following simple steps can be taken to deter kidnapping while traveling internationally:

• Establish a crisis-management plan with your company before traveling abroad
• Learn about the geopolitical situation in the region you are traveling to
• Employ security professionals who can provide security-risk analysis and country-specific response plans before travel
• Conduct comprehensive due diligence on the individuals and companies you will be meeting with
• Arrange for qualified security to pick you up from the airport and provide secure transportation throughout your travels
• Maintain consistent communication with your colleagues while overseas
• Remain alert and aware of your surroundings while traveling abroad

It’s no secret the oil and gas industry is high-risk. You must travel to unstable and often third-world regions in order to maintain and expand your business. Talk to experienced professionals and conduct the necessary research and planning before traveling overseas. Safety is your No. 1 priority.

James Reese

CEO and Co-founder, James Reese has 28 years of demonstrated success leading, managing and organizing complex and multi-functional organizations with billion dollar assets and thousands of personnel. His leadership roles have spanned international and multi-cultured organizations and achieved success in areas of stability, instability and high threat. He led TigerSwan from a two-person, small business, to an international, multi-asset, medium sized global stability company with 250 personnel worldwide. Reese previously spent 21 years of his 25-year career in the Army Special Operations and was a decorated combat leader and a disabled veteran. Reese spent 20 years in key military command and staff leadership roles within the “DELTA FORCE,” Ranger Regiment and 1st Cavalry Division, and his last 10 as an Operator Officer within “DELTA FORCE.” He culminated his career as the Director of Operations and Chief of Staff for a 1,600 person Combined, Joint, Interagency Task Force (CJIATF) conducting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. After 9/11, Reese was selected by the Secretary of Defense to serve as the military advisor for Special Operations to the Director of the CIA on planning and preparation for the invasion of Afghanistan and operation “Enduring Freedom.”

Founded in 2007 by former members of the US Army’s elite special operations unit Delta Force, TigerSwan specializes in corporate solutions across the entire spectrum of vulnerability management. TigerSwan’s Guardian Angel membership is an international corporate security program that enables you to travel safely and conduct your business globally. When travels take you to unfamiliar, unstable, or even dangerous regions, your safety is paramount. Guardian Angel membership services range from client tracking and monitoring to cultural liaisons and low-profile security details—anytime, anywhere in the world. For more information please visit www.TigerSwan.com.

Beating an Advanced Persistent Threat

Make no mistake, APTs are watching, learning, and poised to attack

Globally interconnected digital information and communications infrastructure—better known as “cyberspace”—underpins almost every facet of modern society and provides critical support for the US economy, its civil infrastructure, public safety, and national security.

Security in cyberspace relies on interdependent networks of information technology, national infrastructure, the internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers. Each of these plays a critical part in maintaining intellectual property, the efficient function of the banking and energy industries, and protection of key corporate and national assets.

Yet, it is abundantly clear the activities of hackers or malware can severely impair industrial or government systems and their assets. There is a trend in the oil industry that aims at integrated management of control and safety systems resulting in improved use, efficiency, reduction in personnel, training costs, and cost savings. But industrial systems for the oil industry and offshore platforms remain extremely vulnerable to attacks by hackers.

Read the full story here.

Analyst Says Piracy Spotlight Will Remain Fixed on West African Oil Trade As Long As Naval Presence Remains Low

Pirates will continue to prey on the lucrative west African oil trade, with more piracy and hijacking incidents expected in the Gulf of Guinea, as long as the political complexities surrounding naval presence in territorial waters continue, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.

According to Jeffrey Kerr, GlobalData’s managing analyst covering downstream oil and gas, most of the pirates in the west African region are believed to be part of its countries’ thriving black market for crude oil and refined products.

Kerr said, “The Gulf of Guinea accounts for about 10% of the world’s crude oil exports, as well as many other products such as cocoa and metals, which are highly sought by the generally armed pirates on West African waters.”

Read the full story here.

Oil and Gas Industry’s Top 5 Kidnapping Hotspots

January’s attack and subsequent hostage crisis at the BP and Statoil-run In Amenas gas facility in Algeria by Islamist terrorists brought home just how dangerous some parts of the world can be for the expat oil and gas worker. An inevitable consequence for the oil and gas industry as it moves into frontier areas in its search for reservoirs rich in hydrocarbon resources is the increased security risk of operating in some of the world’s most dangerous countries and regions.

But while the In Amenas incident, which caused the deaths of 39 foreign hostages and an Algerian security guard, might have brought to the fore the threat to the oil and gas sector from Islamism in North Africa, other parts of Africa, and indeed the world, have far more prevalent incidences of hostage taking and kidnappings.

Rigzone has sifted through recent news reports of kidnappings as well as studies by security experts to come up with the five greatest hotspots for the kidnapping of oil and gas workers.

Read the full story here.

Protests Halt Output From Libyan Fields

Protesting workers demanding better work conditions have halted production at a number of oilfields operated by Libyan state operating venture Zuetina Oil Company, reports have said.

Demonstrations have affected output at three fields, an engineer at the Zuetina export terminal in eastern Libya told Reuters.

“The protest started at the 103 D field then spread to 103 A and Zala oilfields, and now the port has been affected, too,” the engineer said.

Read the full story here.

SPE Holds First HSE Conference in Latin America

SPE is holding the first Latin American conference on HSE 26–27 June in Lima, Peru. The SPE Latin American and Caribbean Health, Safety, Social Responsibility, and Environmental Conference will bring together experts from two geographic locations to share best practices, technological advances, and new ideas for HSE.

Experts from Latin America and the Caribbean will conduct more than 50 technical and poster presentations that showcase the latest technological advances and innovative applications in HSE. The opening plenary session, “How to Address and Obtain a License To Operate in Sensitive Areas,” features an in‐depth discussion on social and safety risks, control and transportation of hazardous materials, wastewater treatment, and more.

The second day’s plenary session, “Measures and Improvements After Industry Accidents,” addresses the lessons learned from previous accidents and the latest measures and improvements in managing the prevention and response of oil spills.

“This conference is important to the Latin American and Caribbean regions,” said Carlos Arturo Rosas Mota, conference program committee chairman and HSE manager for Schlumberger Peru. “It is a great opportunity to share best practices and case histories and to learn from each other’s experience. Doing so will help us in our efforts to improve HSE performance for the betterment of the entire industry and all its stakeholders.”

Technical sessions, which will have simultaneous translation in English and Spanish, fall into five categories.

• Environment: Topics include “Designing an Optimal Offshore Pipeline Route To Minimize Impacts on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity,” “The New Structure for International Oil Spill and Preparedness & Response,” and “The Challenges for the Treatment of Drilling Fluid Wastes Generated by E&P Industry in Brazil.”
• HSE Management: Topics include “The Human Chain—A Different Approach to Behavior Safety Program Through the Use of Social Marketing Concepts,” “Assessing Risks and Regulating Safety Standards in the Oil and Gas Industry: The Peruvian Experience,” and “Building Strong Stakeholder Relations and Minimizing Operational Risks in the Oil and Gas Industry Through Market‐Based Certification.”
• Social Responsibility: Topics include “The Social Side of Unconventional Oil and Gas in Latin America,” “Innovative Ways to Inspire New Employees to Embrace an HSE Culture,” and “Social Responsibility: A Comparative Study of Oil Majors—Who is the Best?”

• Safety: Topics include “Integrity Management System Based on Risk Analysis: A Tool to Prevent Failures on Pipelines Which Cross Amazonian Jungles and the Andes,” and “A Study of Rollover Occupant Injury Mitigation Using Dynamic Testing To Evaluate Alternative Protection Systems.”
• Health: Topics include “Improving the Health of the Workforce May Improve Work Performance,” “Cardiovascular Risk Impact in the Oil Industry,” and “Obesity in the Oil and Gas Industry Population.”

The conference includes an exhibition that will showcase some of the latest developments and trends in HSE.

Find more information about the conference and how to register here.

BP Withdraws Staff From Libya

BP is withdrawing some of its staff from Libya amid the potential for violence in the country.

BP said on 12 May that it was withdrawing nonessential overseas staff from Libya “as a precautionary measure” following advice from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. However, BP said that its Libyan staff remain in its office in the country.

Read the full story here.

DOE Recognizes WIPP Security Force for Outstanding Safety

US Department of Energy Carlsbad Field Office Manager Joe Franco (right) presents the Star of Excellence Award to Security Walls Manager Richard De Los Santos.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Security Walls, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s (WIPP) Security Protective Force, with a Star of Excellence Award in the Voluntary Protection Program for the fifth consecutive year.

“I’m very pleased to present this recognition to the WIPP Protective Force, which is the only security force within the DOE complex to receive ‘Legacy Star’ status,” said DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Manager Joe Franco, who presented the award to Security Walls Manager Richard De Los Santos this week. CBFO has responsibility for WIPP and the National Transuranic Program.

“They can be very proud of this accomplishment and the close attention to detail it takes to achieve it,” Franco said. “It shows a strong commitment to safety and security at WIPP.”

To receive a Star of Excellence Award, an organization must achieve an injury rate 75 percent below the industry average.

Read the full story here.