Proximities is proud to announce our ‘preferred partnership
agreement’ with Damen Shipyards. Damen’s global exposure & healthy
risk appetite in combination with Proximities’ tailored ‘security by
design’ approach, are a match made in heaven. Over the past five
years, we have supported the shipbuilder in overcoming a wide range
of security risks and issues.
Physical Security in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
One of the first security services we provided for Damen was a project security review of their
operations in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2015. At that time, the company was involved in several
projects in the Niger Delta, one of the most volatile regions on the continent. To safeguard its assets
and most importantly, its staff, Damen asked for support in enabling the company to work, live and
travel safely in Port Harcourt.
Our support started with the mapping of Damen’s exposure on the ground. What is the average
number of employees present in Port Harcourt? How often do new employees arrive? Where does
Damen staff live and how do they travel to their shipyards? Information gained by the mapping of
exposure was combined with an analysis of the local security situation and the specific threats posed
by it.
Subsequently, one of our consultants travelled to Port Harcourt to interview employees and security
staff in order to assess the physical security of Damen’s staff and assets. This assessment was not
limited to the physical security of shipyards and residences. In the assessment, the quality of
hospitals, transport services and local security providers was took into account as well.
In the end, Damen was provided with a report that mapped local risks posed to Damen’s staff and
assets and advice how to mitigate these risks. As a result, Damen’s staff has been able to travel
safely to one of the most volatile regions in Africa while Damen’s management has a peace of mind
regarding the safety of their staff.
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA
Information Security for the Pakistani Navy
Over the years we did not only support Damen in protecting people and assets, we also helped them
in overcoming information security risks. In November of this year, Damen completed an order of
the Pakistani Navy for the construction of two vessels. It is not difficult to imagine that the
information that Damen’s staff dealt with in this project was sensitive and vulnerable to
breaches of external actors.
In addition to an already high level of cyber security, Damen wanted to address the human aspect of information security as well. To minimize the risk of information breaches and data leaks, our consultants gave an Information Security Workshop to Damen staff involved in the project. Through their experience in the world of intelligence, our consultants know the ins and outs of strategies used by external actors towards company personnel to access the sensitive information.
Through our workshop, Damen’s employees gained a better understanding of information security
in this specific context. Which actors might be after their information and what tactics could they use
to gain access? What could be the possible consequences of a data breach? And even more
important, what can Damen’s employees do to fend off malevolent attempts?
Travel Safety and Business Continuity during COVID-19 (Worldwide)
The partnership between Damen and Proximities culminated during the first global wave of the
COVID-19 pandemic. With Damen’s huge global travel exposure , the company was especially
vulnerable to the uncertainty associated with the first wave.
The immediate impact, at the start of the pandemic in Wuhan, would not been as severe if Damen’s
Shipyards were located outside the Hubei Province of China. As a result, the company was impacted
from Day 1 of the pandemic.
When the Hubei province entered into lockdown and other countries worldwide followed suit,
Damen went into full-operation mode to fulfil its duty of care and return the employees safely to
their home countries. In total, Proximities directly supported and enabled the safe return of a total
of 32 individuals. In addition, we answered more than 120 questions providing travel support to
employees seeking to return to their preferred destinations.
Besides repatriation support, we helped Damen make sense of the overload of information
regarding the global trajectory of the virus and its local impact. In total, we provided 95 daily
briefings on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Damen’s operations in different countries. The
topics that were discussed ranged from the local medical and security situation to government
regulations regarding the freedom of movement.
OUR NUMBERS
Conclusion
As can be seen above, Damen’s global exposure & healthy risk appetite and our tailored ‘security by design’approach, truly are a match made in heaven. As a family company, Damen has the well-being of its employees as its top-priority and is serious about its duty of care. Over the past five years, our security services have supported Damen employees in conducting business around the globe in a safe manner. We look forward to the continuation of our partnership in the years to come!