Admiralty Associates International

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Since 1990, Admiralty Associates has provided public affairs assistance for more than 30 marine casualties worldwide - in such varied locations as the Strait of Malacca, Tampa Bay, Panama Canal, New York Harbor, Gulf of Oman, Corpus Christi, Oslo Fjord, Galveston Lightering Area and the Delaware River. The casualties include oil and chemical spills, cruise ship fires as well as a mutiny off the western coast of Australia. Often shipping companies are caught off balance by the intense and frequently hostile media attention that follows a marine casualty. Government authorities are forced to react to public opinion that is not balanced by an articulate and convincing public response from the shipowner. This could result in stringent enforcement, excessive penalties and even criminal charges. However, waiting for a casualty to occur and then trying to decide on a media strategy is too late. It is necessary to have a contingency plan - including how to respond to the media - before a casualty. Following a high-profile incident, the objective of the operator's response is to resolve the problem, limit liability, effectively influence the claims process, and protect the company's reputation and stay in business. Public relations is one of the tools that can be employed to achieve these goals. The media does not tell the public what to think. Rather, the media - just by reporting events - directs the public what to think about. Therefore, it is essential that a shipping company effectively communicates to the public - to all of its key target audiences - its version of what occurred and what the company is doing to resolve the problem.