Press releases

HFW commended by the United Nations Security Council

Richard Neylon, George Lamplough, Michael Ritter and Hao-Ling Yau of HFW are principal members of the Hostage Support Partnership (HSP), a collaboration between HFW, Les Edwards of the risk management company, Compass Risk Management and John Steed, of the non-governmental organisation Oceans Beyond Piracy.

On 7 November 2017, the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 2383 (2017), commending the HSP's work in securing the release of 26 hostages from the vessel "Naham 3". The hostages had been held by Somali pirates for more than four and a half years.

The commendation originates from the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations of 12 October 2017 on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia. In his report, the Secretary-General notes that the 26 hostages from "Naham 3" were rescued through the efforts of the HSP. The report also highlights the role of the HSP in leading efforts to secure the release of other hostages that remain in captivity, and expressly commends the work of the HSP.

The hostages from "Naham 3" are among the 1,800 hostages that HFW has helped to recover over the past 12 years.

The HFW team is experienced in solving problems in hostile and complex environments, including kidnap for ransom, cyber fraud and extortion and the wrongful detention of people and property, all of which are problems to which companies operating globally are exposed.