Tag: armed guards

ICS welcomes further information from Flag States to update The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS in association with the European Community Shipowners Associations (ECSA), has compiled a useful reference document collating the policy and rules of Flag States on the carriage of arms and private armed guards on board vessels.The document, providing tabulated information on Flag States rules, has been added to the ICS website and is proving to be a popular reference tool for shipowners and other interested parties within the shipping community.Kiran Khosla, ICS Director of Legal Affairs and secretary of the ICS maritime law and insurance committees, says:When the information is compiled together like this it is interesting to see the similarities and variations in approach throughout the international community. Piracy remains a major cause for concern among shipowners and the wider shipping industry and we are not surprised that members are keen to ensure they are up to speed with the latest recommendations and advice. The consensus view among ICS national shipowner associations remains that private armed guards are a clear second best to military personnel. However, in view of the current crisis, ICS has had to acknowledge that the decision to engage armed guards, whether ...

About one in ten vessels off the Somali coast already carry armed guards Gray Page, the leading specialist maritime intelligence, investigation and crisis management company, advised that the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee's (MSC) recently approved interim guidance on the employment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) to combat piracy underlines the requirement for independent vetting of private armed maritime security providers (AMSP).The MSC guidance, issued in May, incorporates recommendations for flag States confirming that it is the responsibility of individual flag States whether to ordain the carriage of security personnel and their firearms on board ships sailing under their flags. Further interim guidance, for shipowners, ship operators and shipmasters, seeks to address the difficulties faced in selecting an appropriate provider of armed security services.
 
James Wilkes, managing director, Gray Page, commented:"The IMO should be commended for setting these guidelines focused, as they are, on ensuring that the provision on board of armed maritime security teams is managed safely and lawfully.""For a shipowner, employing the services of an armed maritime security provider is an exceptionally serious proposition, as the logical consequence of putting men with arms on board a ship is, fundamentally, to sanction the potential use of lethal force ...

Government investigates whether Swedish vessels should have armed guards onboard While the crew escaped unhurt, the attack raises once again the question of whether Swedish ships should be able to arm themselves in the battle against pirates."Had you asked me a year ago I would have been a staunch opponent against having armed guards, but today I am much more hesitant," said Jonas Engström, security manager at shipping firm Wisby Ship Management, to news agency TT.Shortly after 3am on Sunday morning, he received a call from the crew of the tanker Gotland Sofia.Around ten pirates had boarded the ship while the crew unloaded the cargo of oil to an adjacent vessel, 70 kilometres outside the port of Cotonou in Benin.The crew, consisting of four Swedes, 18 Filipinos and a Ukrainian, proceeded to lock themselves in. The pirates tried to get into where the crew had blockaded themselves, but fled when units from Benin's navy fleet approached."In this case, nothing happened, but a lot of people become anxious. It is a situation that may involve substantial risks."The government is current investigating the question of whether Swedish shipping companies should be allowed to have armed guards on board their ships. But pending ...

Proposal to deploy armed security guards Union Minister for Shipping G K Vasan, in a written reply to Goa Rajya Sabha member Shantaram Naik, said that the proposal to deploy armed security guards on Indian merchant ships to thwart attacks by pirates in international waters is under consideration by the government.Vasan said that the Union Government will shortly take a view on this aspect, keeping in mind criminal activities affecting merchant navy ship operations.The Goa MP had written to the Ministry that "world powers have to put in more efforts to thwart such criminal activities or else even terrorists will resort to piracy as one of the methods of terrorising the world community."The MP had written, "Ship owners should be authorised to carry arms for self-defence and face armed pirates, when they board their ships...It is appreciated that the Indian Navy has been playing an important role in this regard and more powers have to be given to it to tackle the problem of ship hijacking."In a response to the letter, Vasan said that the Indian Navy was carrying out anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008."A total number of 25 Indian Navy ships have been deployed ...

The new rules provide Norwegian owners with the guidance for armed guards Norway has released new regulations regarding their existing ship security laws. The new rules provide Norwegian owners with the guidance they will need to follow if they wish to employ armed security teams against piracy.The rule clarification will see owners required to get permission from a Norwegian police authority and the country's Maritime Directorate followed by documentation regarding the actual use of trained and vetted armed services with the Norwegian authorities.The regulation entered into force on 1 July 2011.The changes to the Norwegian Government Regulations can be accessed hereFor further details or questions members should make direct contact with theNorwegian Maritime DirectorateSource : Norwegian Maritime Directorate

Legislation which will change the present law The threat from pirates to British shipping is so great that UK-flagged vessels - including many that visit Southampton - will soon be able to employ armed guards as they navigate dangerous waters.Shipping minister Mike Penning has indicated the Government is about to introduce new legislation which will change the present law and give the legal go-ahead for ships flying the red ensign to recruit armed guards.Oil tankers, chemical carriers, container ships, and roll-on/roll-off vessels are increasingly being targeted by pirates, especially in sealanes close to the lawless state of Somalia.Pirate attacks are also being reported off the coast of west Africa, Indonesia, the Singapore Straits and the South China Sea, where gangs armed with sophisticated automatic weapons and grenade-launchers, have boarded ships and taken crew members as hostage before demanding huge sums in ransom payments.Merchant ships, the life-blood of the world economy, have already installed high-pressure water hoses to deter pirates, as well as sonic devices, originally developed for the US military, which send out a stream of ear-splitting noise in a concentrated beam, which can be aimed at intruders."Legislation will have to be changed to protect our seafarers around the world,'' ...

Update from the Secretary General Mr Efthimios Mitropoulos IMO yesterday had a press conference covering piracy and also including an update of Djibouti Code of Conduct Implementation.At this press conference this week, IMO secretary general Efthimios Mitropoulos stated that seafarers should not be armed and the carriage of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) remains a matter for further discussion. The request should only come following a thorough risk assessment. In addition, flag states should have a policy in place on whether, or not the use of PCASP will be authorised and, if so, under what conditions.The main action plan objectives for piracy which were covered at this press conference were as follows:Increase pressure at the political level to secure the immediate release of all hostages being held by piratesReview and improve the IMO guidelines to Administrations and seafarers and promote compliance with industry best management practices and the recommended preventive, evasive and defensive measures should followPromote greater levels of support from, and coordination with, naviesPromote anti-piracy coordination and co-operation procedures between and among States, regions, organizations and industryAssist States to build the capacity of States in piracy-infested regions of the world, and elsewhere, to deter, interdict and bring to ...

Taking measures to protect its ships Chinese shipping giant Cosco Shipping will spend $12 million on armed guards and other measures to protect its ships, a report said Thursday, after the UN warned of a growing threat from pirates.The firm, China's largest shipping company, said it would spend the money this year on bullet-proof vests and on-board equipment to deter attacks and protect its ships and crews in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean."We don't want to injure people... but we have to protect ourselves," Cosco Shipping's chief operating officer Guo Jin told the South China Morning Post, describing the use of armed guards as a "difficult issue".He said the measure was necessary for its ships when they were unable to avoid high-risk areas off Somalia, adding that the firm was keen on hiring British security companies which use former Special Air Service troops or Royal Marines.Cosco Shipping owns 20 Hong Kong-registered ships and 60 others in mainland China and elsewhere, according to the report. Cosco Shipping officials in Hong Kong declined comment when contacted by AFP.The UN Security Council last month warned that Somali pirates were attacking growing numbers of ships in the Indian Ocean, and the ...

Using armed private guards or soldiers for protection Italy stepped up its measures against piracy, clearing commercial ships sailing through dangerous waters to use armed private guards or soldiers for protection.The ministry of defence was authorised to "agree with private shipowners means of protecting ships flying the Italian flag," the government's official gazette said."Soldiers or private security guards will be embarked on request and at shipowners' cost," it said.The measures were intended for "international maritime areas where there is a risk of piracy," it added.Pirates have seized several Italian boats over the last few years.On April 21 pirates captured an Italian cargo ship headed for Iran with 21 crew members on board, including six Italians, in the Arabian Sea near Oman.In February, pirates wielding rocket-launchers seized a large Italian oil tanker with a crew of five Italians and 17 Indians east of the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean.After that attack, Italy's shipowners association Confitarma, called for ships to have armed guards aboard.The use of barbed wire or water cannons was "no longer enough" against "aggressive and dangerous" pirates, they argued.Source: AFP

Its seafarers requested this desicion Leading Danish tanker and drybulk owner TORM has confirmed that it is using armed guards on board its vessels.The guards are being employed on all of the company's vessels transiting the high risk area off the Horn of Africa, as defined by the 'best management practice (BMP)'.TORM said that this decision was based upon requests from its seafarers who were coming under increasing threat of pirate attacks.The company said that intelligence reports had shown that thus far, no vessels with armed guards on board had come under attack.To provide the security needed, TORM contracted Protection Vessels International (PVI) to supply the armed guards.TORM admitted that there were numerous legal issues to be addressed and the company had worked with many advisors to ensure any issues were resolved before the contract was signed.PVI customers were also consulted to perform a reality check on the services provided.A number of guards had already been employed on the MR 'Torm Alice' and TORM said that the feedback from the master was "extremely good".A TORM spokesman told TANKEROperator that the Danish Shipowners' Association had been very supportive and that the company was well treated by the Danish Ministry of Justice, ...