IMO advising ship owners not to arm crews

IMO advising ship owners not to arm crews    The International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety Committee is advising ship owners against the use of armed crew to combat the threat of piracy.
   The committee met in late May and early June in London and much of the discussion focused on piracy off the coast of Somalia, where some 157 attacks were reported to the IMO in the first four months of 2009.
   The committee has created a new annex offering guidance to seafarers captured in an attack, but it also cautioned ship owners that arming crews can be a dangerous measure.
   'The MSC agreed that flag states should strongly discourage the carrying and use of firearms by seafarers for personal protection or for the protection of a ship,' the committee said in a statement. 'Seafarers, it was agreed, are civilians and the use of firearms requires special training and aptitudes and the risk of accidents with firearms carried on board ship is great.'
   The IMO committee also said the mere presence of weapons on board ships can escalate danger.
   'Carriage of arms on board ship may encourage attackers to carry firearms or even more dangerous weapons, thereby escalating an already dangerous situation,' the IMO said. 'Any firearm on board may itself become an attractive target for an attacker. Carriage of firearms may pose an even greater danger if the ship is carrying flammable cargo or similar types of dangerous goods.'