Armed and dangerous

Armed and dangerous Managing private security contractors remains challenge for shipping industry.

   Ocean carriers have increasingly resorted to using armed security teams to protect their vessels working off the Horn of Africa after realizing that international navies in the area cannot provide adequate protection against Somali pirates, who often are resorting to more brazen tactics and abuse of hostages.
   Swedish roll-on/roll-off carrier Wallenius Lines recently disclosed to Reuters that armed mercenaries are deployed on its ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
   The maritime industry initially opposed mercenaries on their vessels because it feared guns could escalate retaliation from pirates, and shooting accidents at sea could lead to civil suits or criminal prosecution. Tanker operators have the additional fear that a firefight on one of their ships could spark a conflagration given the volatile nature of their cargo.
   Others are concerned that an arms race would soon develop as pirates seek out greater firepower to take on armed guards that are shooting at them.
   In fact, pirates are increasingly returning fire and engaging in skirmishes with armed personnel, according to a June 6 report from the Oceans Beyond Piracy project at the non-profit One Earth Future Foundation.
   And Lt. Col. Andy Price of the British Royal Navy, who is on assignment with the European Union Naval Force for Somalia, recently predicted at a conference in Brussels pirates will soon fire broadsides from deck-mounted machine guns into freighters, according to a report from PublicServiceEurope.com.
   Heavy machine guns would give pirates a standoff capability to force cargo and cruise ships to stop.

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   Some, like independent maritime organization BIMCO, still view the use of armed guards as a last resort if non-lethal Best Management Practices for security are insufficient. Industry recommendations for vessel owners and operators include frequent reporting of their position and direction to naval forces in the region, increasing lookouts, training crews and activating a distinctive-sounding alarm if pirates are spotted.
   'Best Management Practices have proven to be very effective when implemented thoroughly, but we do recognize that some ships are so vulnerable to pirate attacks that the extra protection provided by Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel could be necessary. In such cases, we would always recommend government-provided vessel protection detachments over' private contractors, said Jakob Larsen, BIMCO's maritime security officer, via e-mail.
   One of the side effects BIMCO members worry about is violence against the crew and guards if a ship with guards is captured, he added.
   To date, no vessels with armed security teams onboard have been taken by pirates. Larsen said the fear is that the pirates would eventually find a way to overcome a small team of security guards.
   The British and Danish governments are considering allowing merchant ships registered under their flag to carry armed security teams.
   The Indian government's policy on armed guards appears more aligned with the BIMCO approach. Indian officials, according to local news accounts, recently said they would allow vessels to carry armed security teams comprised of retired navy officers so the government is assured of some oversight of who is guarding Indian vessels.
   The International Transport Workers' Federation, a union representing mariners, also said it prefers military personnel to ride on merchant ships.
   Although armed guards have proven beneficial so far, many industry and government officials are concerned about the lack of regulation surrounding this burgeoning security market. Vessel operators and private security contractors develop their own protocols for ship defense as they see fit and there is no public registry that audits the credentials of security companies.
   RAND Corp. researcher and international security specialist Peter Chalk cautioned that scores of security companies with contracts winding down in Iraq could view anti-piracy as a new source of business and tout their credentials even if they don't have maritime security experience.
   Already many private security contractors are using cheap gear and low-wage personnel to help undercut the competition on price.
   The International Maritime Organization in May, in an effort to address the lack of common standards, published interim guidelines for employing armed security teams that cover issues such as the selection of private armed security contractors, insurance and rules of engagement.
   Another security option being explored by London-based insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson is to set up a private navy with about 22 armed vessels to provide full-time escort services for customers.
   Such an arrangement is plagued by the same challenge faced by military forces, namely that a small fleet is not sufficient to prevent attacks in an area that stretches from the Red Sea more than 2.5 million square miles across the Indian Ocean. And the service would only be able to protect about 5,000 ships per year, or about 20 percent of the traffic.
   Experts also say that private escort ships are not economical compared to three- or four-man armed detachments that can ride on commercial vessels for several days at a fraction of the cost. Private security contractors are also cheaper than rerouting ships around the tip of Africa to avoid pirates.
   Besides, said Chalk, armed riders have the singular focus of protecting the ship they're on while escort ships would have to divide their attention among various customers sailing through pirate-infested waters.
   The Jardine effort is an attempt to find an alternative solution for ship operators, insurance companies and seafarer unions that don't want to have armed guards on vessels, according to Michael Frodl, an attorney and risk analyst who advises insurance interests and others about the piracy situation. He added that Jardine has had difficulty getting financing and regulatory approvals for the escort fleet, as well as figuring out a concept of operations, and didn't hold out much hope that it would materialize.