For the second consecutive year, Aspida Maritime Security continues its collaboration with Alere Toxicology, proving the company’s commitment to providing personnel of the highest possible standard.
Alere Toxicology is a world-leading provider of drug and alcohol testing services and products, performing more than ten million laboratory tests each year for customers across all industries.
PCASPs employed by Aspida are carefully recruited, trained, certified and approved with a range of documentation and checks before deployment, including CRB, army discharge papers, seamans book, STCW, all MSO, FPOSI, MFCC, psychometric evaluation prior to interview, drug and alcohol, cardio, seafarers medical and psychiatric clearance.
Aspida CEO Panos Moraitis said: "In our sector the most valuable asset is people; we pride ourselves on the quality of our operatives.
"Before being assigned to an operation each of our operatives undergoes a stringent evaluation of physical and psychological condition to ensure he will be able to withstand the requirements of the task at hand."
Aspida general manager Manos Roudas said: "With more than four years experience in the business, Aspida has carried out more than 1,000 transits, with the involvement of hundreds of operatives.
"During this time, not one operative has been found to have any alcohol or drugs in their body; a true testament to the overall quality of recruitment and vetting programmes in place at Aspida."
Aspida security teams consist of highly experienced Greek or British operatives. The screening process for recruitment is very thorough and rigorous.
Aspida human resources manager Dr Constantinos Perrotis said: "For each operation we carefully select the operatives to be deployed based on various factors, from the operatives’ experience on specific ship types to the nationality of officers and crews on each vessel.
"Our people are trained and experienced in anti-piracy operations and most come from a career in the special forces."
Aspida has been using Alere Toxicology since 2012 to perform random drug and alcohol sampling of the associated PCASPs. On-site tests before embarkation are also available, when required by customers.
Aspida receives certificates of registration and completion annually from Alere Toxicology to demonstrate that it is registered with their drug and alcohol testing programme.