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Privacy + Piracy

A private family endures a breach of security on the high seas and takes action.
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The Problem

Recently, a family who owns a maritime vessel and often cruises with prominent guests experienced an unwanted breach of privacy. In this instance, a crew member arranged to have pictures taken of a celebrity invited to sail with the family, violating the trust and privacy of all on board. The photos were then published by paparazzi in a tabloid. For this client and others like them, their crew members are critical employees who need to perform as trusted advisors while operating the vessel. Additionally, the family later obtained a new maritime vessel, and during the retrofit, we were consulted on mechanisms to enhance privacy and security aboard the vessel.

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The Solution

Our private client team ensured that due diligence investigations were conducted on key crew members, non-disclosure agreements were reached and measures to monitor open-source social media platforms were adopted. The team also worked closely with both the family security representative and yacht captain to obtain the necessary information about each crew member to conduct thorough reviews of their backgrounds. In addition, our expert team identified that the greatest risk to the family and its guests was an injury or illness occurring while hundreds of miles from a qualified medical facility. Piracy is also a concern depending on the geographic destinations and trips undertaken by the family and the vessel. The team took measures to mitigate both vulnerabilities.

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The Results

The countermeasures, policies and procedures put into place for this family and its yacht were later expanded to include the primary residence and private aircraft, providing the family members with a higher degree of confidence in the privacy, security and safety they and their guests experience and depend upon.