Advanfort is now a certified Stage-1 SAMI member; another demonstration of what drives us to succeed

Washington, D. C., April 17 -- The maritime security leader AdvanFort Company is pleased to announce that it has achieved key certification status in the Standard Private Maritime Security Company (PMSC) accreditation program of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI).

The successful move is part of AdvanFort's on-going rigorous program of matching and exceeding emerging international benchmarks for quality and standards in maritime security.

"We have just been told by Peter Cook, SAMI's founder and director, that AdvanFort has been now certified in the Stage 1 process, attesting to our company's bottom line of transparency, honesty and integrity," said AdvanFort President and COO William H. Watson.

"Submitting to a documentation process carried out by an independent agency is yet another demonstration of what drives us to succeed when it come to providing global maritime security solutions."

Captain Watson noted that SAMI is one of the most important international nongovernmental organizations providing independent regulatory standards for maritime security companies.

AdvanFort's adherence to, and belief in, the trade association's state-of-the-art standard applicable across the maritime security industry, he reiterated, "shows our commitment to deeds, not words."

The SAMI certification comes just two months after the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) approved AdvanFort's counter-piracy operations for the world's largest ship registry.

In addition, that same month a number of AdvanFort vessel security officers participated in a first-ever counter-piracy training program for corporations working in the merchant marine environment. Offered on the campus of the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) outside Baltimore, Maryland, the course was a big step forward in meeting growing international demands for standardizing (and professionalizing) counter-piracy security teams.

AdvanFort's continuing dedication to quality management can also be seen in its pursuing International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certification (while looking forward to ISO 2800-7).