File photo of an armed guard.
By Michelle Wiese Bockmann
(Bloomberg) — Some merchant ships are using illegal armed guards to deter pirates off West Africa, prompting at least one country to suspend use of legitimate guards, said North of England P&I Association Ltd.
Regional laws require ships to use guards provided by the security forces of local nations, the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England-based vessel insurer said in a Feb. 5 notice on its website. Some of the local agencies that provide guards hired off-duty security forces to save money, the statement showed.
“This has led to further problems, such as suspension of legitimate armed-guard services by a coast state in the region,” the insurer said. “Operators should seek to ensure that the agency they use is employing local security forces that are on duty.”
Pirates hijacked 10 vessels and attacked 58 ships in the Gulf of Guinea last year, said North of England P&I, citing figures from the London-based International Maritime Bureau. The association provides protection and indemnity insurance to ships with total capacity of 170 million gross tons, according to its website.
North England P&I Statement: Guidance on Employing Armed Guards in West Africa
Copyright 2013 Bloomberg.
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What difference does it make who kills the pirate and saves the ship and crew? England based insurance carrier…gimme a break, I mean gun.
Easy for someone to sit in the office and pass comments like that…..reality bites. Have they ever been in a situation where they have a gun pointed at them ???? Legitimate or not….fact is that there is a need to have good armed guards when necessary.
Its about who gets to make the money for providing the security. Who are the worst enemy the pirates or the UN?
Tea with milk and no comments. Maybe representatives of these institutions should meet with pirates few times to get familiarize with their work culture.