A RUNCORN technology firm is at the centre of anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa.

Polymorph has designed a communications system that has been adopted by an international naval fleet patrolling waters off the coast of Somalia to discourage acts of piracy.

Pirates have seized vessels carrying oil and humanitarian supplies demanding huge ransoms for their return.

EU Navfor, a European military mission, was established on December 8 last year involving international partners, including Nato nations, to discourage attacks.

Operation Atalanta is controlled by the Royal Navy’s Rear Admiral Peter Hudson and a 76-strong command headquarters staff based at Northwood, near London.

However, the international fleet needed a system that would, for the first time, allow all vessels and aircraft from different nations to communicate securely with each other.

IT company Polymorph’s system was chosen from a number of rival tenders.

A spokesman for the EU Navfor operation said: “Having reviewed the first six months of operations, we realised the requirement for a secure collaboration tool, to supersede existing systems which would enable counter-piracy efforts within the region.

“We handle sensitive information and needed a secure and fully-integrated solution that would help us not only establish better communication between the various international military vessels present in the Horn of Africa, but also gain control over these increasingly complex and disturbing instances.

“Polymorph was able to deliver results directly from the onset.”

The company said the template of its collaboration system will also enable military vessels from around the globe to communicate more effectively with each other in international waters, not just in the Horn of Africa.

Steve Harris, Polymorph managing director, said: “The opportunity to work with the Royal Navy, alongside the Ministry of Defence and EU Navfor is an honour. Being chosen after a comprehensive selection process – and standing out from our competition – is a great endorsement of the skills, quality and expertise Polymorph has to offer and we look forward to building on this international project.”

Polymorph provides a variety of IT services and consultancy. Leading clients include Manchester Airport, BT and Panasonic.