UK arms up against piracy

The decision was announced yesterday by British prime minister David Cameron. And will be made possible by way of an exception to strict British firearm laws.

Gavin Simmonds, Head of Security and Defence at the UK Chamber of Shipping said to The Motorship: “We have supported the move to decriminalise the carriage of private armed security, but believe it needs to be decision of individual ship owners to use them where they think appropriate.

“However, the use of private security not only risks escalating confrontations with pirates but also causes a very serious legal liability and other dilemmas for major UK corporate decision makers who are unwilling to take on international protection duties privately. There is a strong principle and belief that it should instead be the responsibility of UK Government to do that”.

As a whole, the industry is backing the decision as a proven deterrent but are questioning whether this is a long-term solution.

Somali piracy is costing the global economy billions of dollars a year by ransoming hijacked ships from around the world – including oil super tankers.