Tag: Spain

Spain Vows to Regulate Gibraltar Bunkering

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 ...

Collaborations in the fight against piracy The Spanish Minister for Defense, Ms. Carme Chacon Piqueras, has pledged to step up collaborations with the Seychelles government in the fight against piracy afterparticipating in a meeting with the High Level Committee on Piracy (HLCP) earlier yesterday.During a brief working visit, Minister Chacon Piqueras and her delegation of high level government officials, met with the Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, the Minister for Home Affairs, Mr. Joel Morgan, four private ship-owners, and other members of the HLCP, and agreed to establish a Bilateral Commission aimed at discussing the possibility of ship-owners operating in the region carrying high-caliber weapons onboard.This commission, which will include military and government officials, as well as private-sector representatives, will review the carrying of such weapons as a preventative measure, as part of a wider, multifaceted formula to combat piracy.Speaking at a press conference held at State House following a meeting with Seychelles President Michel, the Spanish Minister and Minister Adam said that reviewing such measures is a vital response to the increased sophistication of Somali pirates and key to protecting economic activity, which would also minimize the adverse effects of the cost of piracy on commodity ...