UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that cargo ships sailing under a British flag will be able to carry armed guards to protect them from pirates, Ifw-net reports.
Speaking at the weekend, Cameron, who has been attending the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Perth, Australia, said he wanted to combat the risks to shipping off the coast of Somalia, where 49 of last year’s 53 hijackings took place.
He said he was taking action to ensure vessels sailing under the red ensign, the flag of the British merchant navy, were better-defended.
Under the plans, the UK Home Secretary would be given the power to licence armed guards for ships.
Cameron said: “We have to make choices in this, and frankly, the extent of the hijack and ransom of ships around the Horn of Africa is a stain on our world.
“The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are able to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system is an insult.”
No vessel carrying armed security has yet been hijacked, his government claimed.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, attacks by Somali pirates numbered a record 199 in the first nine months of this year, compared with 126 in 2010 – two-thirds of all the maritime hijackings recorded. And at least 15 hostages have been murdered this year.
Up to 200 vessels flying the red ensign regularly sail close to Somalia and officials estimate that about 100 of those would immediately apply for permission to carry armed guards.
However, licensing ships to carry armed guards could still fall foul of laws in other countries. Egypt recently announced that armed guards would not be permitted on ships sailing through the Suez canal.
The International Chamber of Shipping, which represents more than 80% of the world’s merchant fleet, welcomed the move as likely to have a deterrent effect – but said it believed this was only a “short-term measure”.
The command and control structure envisaged by Cameron has yet to be announced, and there is also, as yet, no definition of the “exceptional circumstances” that Transport Minister Justine Greening has said would be necessary.
Earlier this month, the UK announced the formation of a piracy intelligence centre in the Seychelles, manned by the Serious Organised Crimes Agency, to track and target pirate leaders.
Speaking at the weekend, Cameron, who has been attending the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Perth, Australia, said he wanted to combat the risks to shipping off the coast of Somalia, where 49 of last year’s 53 hijackings took place.
He said he was taking action to ensure vessels sailing under the red ensign, the flag of the British merchant navy, were better-defended.
Under the plans, the UK Home Secretary would be given the power to licence armed guards for ships.
Cameron said: “We have to make choices in this, and frankly, the extent of the hijack and ransom of ships around the Horn of Africa is a stain on our world.
“The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are able to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system is an insult.”
No vessel carrying armed security has yet been hijacked, his government claimed.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, attacks by Somali pirates numbered a record 199 in the first nine months of this year, compared with 126 in 2010 – two-thirds of all the maritime hijackings recorded. And at least 15 hostages have been murdered this year.
Up to 200 vessels flying the red ensign regularly sail close to Somalia and officials estimate that about 100 of those would immediately apply for permission to carry armed guards.
However, licensing ships to carry armed guards could still fall foul of laws in other countries. Egypt recently announced that armed guards would not be permitted on ships sailing through the Suez canal.
The International Chamber of Shipping, which represents more than 80% of the world’s merchant fleet, welcomed the move as likely to have a deterrent effect – but said it believed this was only a “short-term measure”.
The command and control structure envisaged by Cameron has yet to be announced, and there is also, as yet, no definition of the “exceptional circumstances” that Transport Minister Justine Greening has said would be necessary.
Earlier this month, the UK announced the formation of a piracy intelligence centre in the Seychelles, manned by the Serious Organised Crimes Agency, to track and target pirate leaders.