UK arms up against piracy
British merchant ships sailing off the coast of Somalia will be allowed to carry armed guards to deter pirates. The decision has been made possible by way of an exception to strict British firearm laws.
Gavin Simmonds, head of security and defence at the UK Chamber of Shipping told MJ, “We have supported the move to decriminalise the carriage of private armed security, but believe it needs to be decision of individual ship owners to use them where they think appropriate.
“However, the use of private security not only risks escalating confrontations with pirates but also causes a very serious legal liability and other dilemmas for major UK corporate decision makers who are unwilling to take on international protection duties privately. There is a strong principle and belief that it should instead be the responsibility of UK Government to do that”.
As a whole, the industry is backing the decision as a proven deterrent but are questioning whether this is a long-term solution.
Nautilus International, which represents some 23,000 ship masters, officers and other shipping industry staff, cautiously welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement but believes there “are still questions to be asked and concerns to be addressed.”
The union’s general secretary Mark Dickinson said, “There continue to be unanswered questions about the liability and responsibility associated with the use of weapons onboard merchant ships.
“There needs to be consideration and agreement on key issues including the liabilities of masters and officers in the event of something going wrong, or the problems of flag states, coastal states and port states facilitating the carriage of weapons onboard. The thorny issue of the cost of providing security has the potential to give further incentives to shipowners to flag out and the quality and regulation of private armed security guards.”
Somali piracy is costing the global economy billions of dollars a year by ransoming hijacked ships from around the world.
