Egypt declares the carriage of arms and ammunition on board ships in territorial waters illegal
The Egyptian authorities have recently declared the carriage of arms and ammunition on board ships in Egyptian territorial waters to be illegal.
Our Egyptian correspondents, Eldib Pandi, have advised that the Egyptian authorities had allowed ships to enter Egyptian ports with arms on-board. This was on the basis that the ship’s local agents would make a declaration to the port authority before the ship’s arrival providing them with:
- the name of the ship
- the ship’s ETA at the port
- the period of her stay in the port
- a list of the security personnel
- the number of pieces and the type of arms on-board.
The port police officers had to board the ship upon her arrival to:
- put the arms in a locker and seal it
- obtain a written confirmation from the ship’s master that such arms would not be used during the period of the ship’s stay in the port
- appoint a police officer to stay on board the ship and watch the bonded store during the ship’s stay in the port.
The police officers would then break the seal when the ship was ready to sail. If the ship intended to transit the Suez Canal, the relevant authorities would remove the arms and ammunition and return them after completion of the canal transit.
On the 29 August 2011 the Ministry of Transport – Maritime Transport Sector wrote to the Chamber of Shipping in every Egyptian port, and advised that the carriage of armed security teams on commercial shipping was contrary to law. The MTS advised that masters are required to declare that their ships are free from arms or ammunition for security reasons. If arms or ammunition are on-board members’ ships whilst in Egyptian territorial waters (including outer/inner anchorage areas or during transit of the canal) the ship could be detained and the crewmembers subject to legal accountability and interrogation by the local District Attorney (under law No. 394/1954 and its amendments).
We advise all members to seek advice from their local agents in Egypt and to ensure that their armed security providers comply with the law in Egypt whilst this new development is clarified. Eldibs will meet with the relevant authorities to discuss this issue. We will report further to members in due course.
Source: The Standard P&I Club
