22 September 2016

The Chelsea Group interview on Superyacht Security

Paul Jordan, General Manager of Hart, the sister company of MPDS, was interviewed by Ocean magazine and shared his superyacht security expertise.

‘Security should start with the right personnel who are able to provide the most appropriate security solutions. That knowledge should be closely followed by discretion, reliability and quality control,’ says Jordan, a former member of the Special Air Service Regiment who has worked in the maritime sector since 1998.

‘I’ve seen many changes in that time,’ says Jordan. ‘Pirates have an increased awareness of superyachts, but I’ve also witnessed increased crime at seemingly safe ports.’

The bulk of the Hart maritime team are recruited from the Special Forces community and their security knowledge is both contemporary and based on real-time experience, but their tactical abilities are not the only criteria, says Jordan.

‘Even if a security adviser meets all our tactical requirements, they must also meet our standards of dress, appearance and most importantly, discretion. We know our security is highly effective but we also aim to be almost invisible to the client.’

Jordan says superyacht owners want privacy, but they also want peace of mind, without having their experience becoming complicated. ‘They want to know you are there without seeing you,’ he says. ‘Our customers entertain friends, family, colleagues and clients on board and they don’t want their vessel to look like a fortress. If you have invested in an extraordinary vessel then you should secure that asset as you would any other, but it should be based on real threats and risks. We provide security solutions that are realistic and appropriate and I feel our clients respond to that.’

‘We know our security is highly effective but we also aim to be almost invisible to the client.’