A move that caused tention across security sector
Spain has approved the use of high-calibre guns onboard vessels which are at risk from Somali pirates, a move that caused tention across the private security sector. The ruling meets the needs of the commercial fishing fleet operating out of the Seychelles but It was not clear whether or not the decision applies to other Spanish flag shipping.
Security experts argued that an important precedent has now been set, and some were really worried about the development. The new guns are designed to destroy vehicles and aircraft up to one kilometre away, and some experts believe that they operationally inappropriate in dealing with threat.
This guns are now more powerful than the semi-automatic firearms now in standard use in the Gulf of Aden and insurers might be reluctant to provide cover. Moreover, following Egypt’s recent decision to ban the carriage of arms through the Suez Canal, the more sensitive regional coastal states may prohibit them from entering ports.
Spain’s defence minister Carme Chacón this week met shipowner representatives to discuss the piracy crisis in the Gulf of Aden, with the session widely reported in the Spanish press. At the press conference that followed, Ms Chacón announced an agreement with the government of the Seychelles that private guards on Spanish tuna fishing vessels using Victoria as a base will be able to deploy machineguns of up to 12.7 mm calibre for reasons of self-defence. The exact terms and conditions attached will be hammered out in the months ahead.
As security contractors point out, bullets from these weapons are designed to spread, in order to have a more damaging impact on the target. It is difficult to identify targets accurately at the range of which they are capable, and the possibility of ricochet creates a substantial risk of collateral damage. For many, such drawbacks make for misgivings over the value of such weapons as part of the fightback against piracy.
Solace Global Maritime, a British-based security company,commented that it is difficult to understand from a moral, legal or practical perspective how firing a burst of large calibre ammunition into a suspect vessel would be appropriate. Also, they are aware of the great strides being made by organisations like the International Maritime Organization in regulating the use of maritime security providers. They wouldn’t want to see owners, port authorities or even governments being alienated by irresponsible practices and the use of arms more suitable for warfare.
Giles Noakes, security adviser to BIMCO, said that he understood the particular vulnerability of fishing vessels. Weapons of 12.7mm may have some useful applications in this context. He aslo said that as much as many people might fear that this over-eggs the situation, the heavier calibre machinegun is a high-velocity weapon which will allow warning shots to be fired at a greater distance and deter pirates from attacking fishing vessels
