Maritime Companies Rule out Arming Workers to Prevent Pirate attacks
Gangs of Somali pirates have turned their attention to American vessels with two attacks on our ships in April alone, but maritime companies have ruled out the option of arming their workers to deal with this deadly threat.
Representatives of shipping companies at a maritime conference in Singapore indicated that they are not keen on arming their workers with weapons to deter armed Somali pirates. These dangerous gangs are comprised of highly sophisticated criminals armed with modern automatic weapons, and their attacks have shown a strong bent of mind and careful planning. Currently, sailors navigating the waters in the Gulf of Aden are forced to prop mannequins dressed in military fatigues and holding fake weapons to fool pirates. Obviously, dummy military personnel have done little to ward off attacks by the gangs. Somali pirates have been attacking international vessels more frequently than ever before.
At the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, President Admiral Rick Guenon is calling for increased action to protect ships and crew from pirate attacks. These actions include arming the crew members of vessels and increasing the number of warships in pirate infested waters. However, arming maritime workers is a sticky issue the Coast Guard is not in favor of. According to Coast Guard representatives, maritime workers are not trained to handle weapons. They also worry about the risk of liability when workers are allowed to carry sophisticated weapons.
It is clear that propping mannequins on the sides of ships, using water hoses to remove ladders pirates use to board ships, and other antiquated measures are doing little, if anything, to deter these gangs. We are looking at an international maritime security problem and so far, there are very few answers that can help keep our sailors, deckhands, cruise ship crew, house keepers, stewards, and other maritime workers safe.
Maritime lawyers must get more involved in demanding a safer and more secure working environment for workers who are at risk of life and limb in these pirate infested waters.
There are companies out there that are willing to put trained security personnel on these maritime ships. Our company for one is about to start training a counter-pirate & maritime protection team. This team will consist of former Canadian Forces members retrained to focus on the mission of protecting a ship. So there are solutions out there many times they are right in front of us.
Throw the useless mannequins overboard and put manned 50 cal. machine guns in their place!
When the mannequins start shooting back, the pirates will back off. A NO BRAINER!! If I owned a ship and it's cargo and the ship was worth a couple of million I would do my utmost to protect my interests. Maritime Law or not!