Indian-flagged ships now have the right to deploy armed guards against pirates, the Indian Shipping Ministry has decreed after repeated appeals by the Indian National Shipowners' Association, Shippingazette reports.
Such appeals from Dutch shipowners and seafarer groups were recently rejected by Netherlands Defence Minister Hans Hillen, who said most merchant ships sail fast enough to avoid capture, and those that don't can have crews take refuge in panic rooms until help arrives.
But the Indian government said: "The ministry considered the fact that about 35 per cent of merchant ships transiting through pirate-infested waters deploy armed security guards and that the pirates generally do not attack ships with armed guards on board," an official statement said.
Such appeals from Dutch shipowners and seafarer groups were recently rejected by Netherlands Defence Minister Hans Hillen, who said most merchant ships sail fast enough to avoid capture, and those that don't can have crews take refuge in panic rooms until help arrives.
But the Indian government said: "The ministry considered the fact that about 35 per cent of merchant ships transiting through pirate-infested waters deploy armed security guards and that the pirates generally do not attack ships with armed guards on board," an official statement said.