About BMSS

Meet The Directors

Meet the Directors

David Bancroft

Contact David

Office: +44 20 8133 0023
Cell: +44 7860227998
Email: click here

Stephen Duffy

Contact Stephen

Office: +61 (0) 2 99541669
Cell: +61 (0) 432 262535
Email: click here

David Bancroft is a career mariner, serving in both the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy at senior management level. Prior to founding BMSS, David’s last Naval Command was UKMTO, the UK Anti Piracy Unit based out in the Middle East in 2008/2009.

At the peak of the crisis, David played a key facilitating role as contact point in hijack situations which assisted in eventual safe resolution. During this time, David extended his expertise to merchant ships in the area, encouraging them to adopt robust self-protection measures.

He was a convincing advocate for weapon-free self-protection on  civilian ships and architect of advice later formalised by the IMO as the now well-known Best Management Practices (BMPs) and the designer of the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC). As a result The British Chamber of Shipping supported by BP nominated David for the award of the Merchant Navy Medal, which he was presented with in 2010.

After leaving the military David continued in the private sector and successfully thwarted a concerted pirate attack against a vessel he was protecting.
 David’s commitment to global maritime security is demonstrated by the continual production of Anti-Piracy training packages and his demand as key note speaker on maritime security at conference and events around the world.

He was inducted into ‘The Corporation of Trinity House’ as a Younger Brother in 2012.

Stephen Duffy is a career mariner, having served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) for 23 years rising to the rank of Commander, specialising in anti-surface and anti-air warfare.  Following his military service, he joined the fledgling National Marine Unit (Australian Coast Guard equivalent) as an Australian Customs Officer to assist establishing the nascent organisation as a capable maritime border protection agency.  On achieving this goal he was then selected to fill the role of Senior Advisor to the United Arab Emirates Coast Guard (UAECG) Commander where he contributed to growing the competence and capacity of that unit to enforce its maritime border protection duties.

While serving in the RAN and later in the NMU, he was intimately engaged with the protection of Australia’s maritime border, contributing directly to the tactical, operational and strategic outcomes in controlling the maritime domain.  Additional to tackling criminal activity at sea relating to drug smuggling, illegal fishing, unauthorised immigration and environmental protection, he also filled roles at operational headquarters to manage, train and assess those responsible for the defence and control of Australia’s maritime borders.

As personal advisor to the UAECG Commander, Duffy was instrumental in strategic and operational restructure of that group, as well as taking the duties of Training Commander and establishing the UAECG Training Centre, while developing policy and operational plans, tactical procedures and managing the procurement and sustainment support of In-service and new CG assets.  A notable achievement of his time with the UAECG was his involvement in the development and implementation of the Abu Dhabi Maritime Strategy as a director of the Maritime Security Executive Committee.

In his role as director for BMSS, Stephen has been involved in a wide variety of maritime safety and security activities including counter-piracy protection, security risk surveys, operational and logistics capability improvement, operational and business concept development and marine disaster management for military, government and commercial clients.