A recent release from Nautilus International, the union that represents 23,000 ship officers and staff, has cautiously welcomed the UK government’s announcement that British-flagged vessels will be able to carry armed guards to protect them from pirate attack.
It does, however, say that there are significant concerns about the practise.
Mark Dickinson, International General Secretary for Nautilus said “There continue to be grave unanswered questions about liability and responsibility associated with the use of weapons on-board merchant ships,” he said. Of particular concern were the liabilities for masters and officers in the event of something going wrong; the problem of flag states, coastal states and port states facilitating the carriage of weapons on-board; who pays the cost; the fact that this will give greater incentives for operators to ‘flag out’ to avoid the new rules; and the quality and regulation of Private Armed Security Guards.”
The Union has previously stated its preference for military Vessel Protection Detachments rather than the privately contracted security operatives proposed by Prime Minister David Cameron, in an interview with the BBC.
“This would ensure there are no concerns regarding training, authority and liability,” confirmed Mr Dickinson. “We believe this would be cost-effective and provide direct protection to merchant vessels. We also believe there should be absolute clarity on the type of weapons private security guards can use.”
Mr Dickinson maintains that there is still significant room for consideration of other, more passive yet highly effective, forms of defence against piracy and armed attacks.