Fake Security Contracts Costly

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) is alerting ship owners that some private maritime security companies (PMSC) are using unauthenticated copies of GUARDCON, which are transit agreements. GUARDCON is a standard contract for hiring private maritime security guards onboard vessels.   

BIMCO’S report reveals that these falsified versions of GUARDCON contain different type wording than the BIMCO verified documents. BIMCO also warns ship owners that falsified GUARDCON contracts may lessen the liabilities and responsibilities of PSMCs if pirates actually boarded their vessels.

GUARDCON is available from a single distributor, and BIMCO recommends that all GUARDCON contracts be verified immediately to confirm that the documents were printed directly from IDEA2.  BIMCO’s Secretariat is available to verify any contracts an operator may suspect to to be unauthentic.  

BIMCO is the world’s largest international shipping association with 2,300 members in around 130 countries.