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Article

25 Sep 2011

Author:
Sanatu Sanyal, The Hindu Business Line [India]

Private armed guards only a quick fix against piracy [India]

Carriers with Indian flags will now be allowed to deploy armed guards against pirates, the Shipping Ministry has decreed, following repeated appeals by the Indian National Shipowners' Association...Ship-owners and insurers until recently were reluctant to allow armed private contractors on board. They hesitated partly due to legal liabilities and risks, including the problem of bringing weapons into some territorial waters, and due to fear of escalating violence. The use of private security would likely lead pirates to change tactics and be more violent. Seamen have been murdered and there are disturbing reports that those taken as hostage have been subject to torture reminiscent of an age when ships with sails had captains who were a law unto themselves. Contracting out the protection of vessels to mercenaries takes shipping companies into legally and morally complex territory that should rather be patrolled by states. Private guards should comply with the legislation of the flag state, it is argued.