Superior Marine Services of Florida was hired to manage the transportation of a coastal security boat onboard a semi-submersible heavy lift vessel from the US to the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to the award announcement, the contractor is required to provide a team comprised of at least four armed guards during transit in the Mediterranean Sea.
Under the terms of the contract, security personnel will be in charge of protecting the vessel, its crew and US Department of Defense cargo from pirates and terrorists.
MSC says the unit must be prepared to fend off an attack from two to 20 small vessels manned by assailants with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers.
“The [security contractor] must also be prepared to defend against suicide-bomber attacks by persons using vessel-borne improvised explosive devices,” it added.
Robert Ferguson, a spokesman for Superior, declined to comment on whether the company has already picked a US or Nato-flagged vessel to carry out the contract, citing “security reasons”.
He did say, however, that the company has a security firm “in mind” but won’t sign on the dotted line until October and indicated he was open to hearing proposals.
“We keep as many details about the operation as private as possible because the whole idea is avoiding getting blown up,” he added.
While security personnel will be bound by local laws during the voyage, MSC authorized the use of deadly force “only when this is directly related to the assigned mission”.
