Piracy Takes Deadly New Turn as Private Security Contractors Defend Vessel
According to media reports and the EU Naval Force, on March 23rd the MV Almezaan, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden while en route to Mogadishu. The vessel, which had been the subject of pirate attacks in the past, included an "armed private vessel protection detachment" – meaning a privately-contracted security team.
As the pirates attacked using skiffs, the onboard security team repelled the pirates' first attempt on the vessel by returning fire. A second attack was likewise repelled, at which point the pirates fled.
A spanish frigate arrived on-scene in response to a distress call from the MV Almezaan. The frigate's helicopter located and interdicted the pirate vessels. A boarding party found one of the pirate suspects dead from gunshot wounds believed to have been inflicted by the security team protecting the MV Almezaan.
The incident is the first known instance of a pirate allegedly being killed by a member of a private contractor security team aboard a merchant vessel. The use of such teams aboard civilian cargo ships is on the rise in response to the high levels of piracy off the coast of Somalia, leading experts to predict that additional deaths are likely. The practice raises a host of issues, however, causing concern among detractors even as proponents cite the necessity for armed shipboard protection to fend off increasingly sophisticated and violent pirate tactics.
The maritime industry has always been considered a high-risk occupation. The recent increase in piracy has only added to the problem. Maritime lawyers have led the fight in bringing this matter to the public’s attention and have been instrumental in forcing employers to take additional, prudent measures to protect maritime workers and seamen from the dangers of piracy.
If you have any questions regarding a maritime incident or have suffered a maritime injury, contact a maritime attorney online atArnold & Itkin LLP for a free consultation or call our maritime law office toll free at 866-222-2606.
