New guidelines for ships on pirate attacks

New guidelines for ships on pirate attacks    The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Shipping Federation, two London-based international associations of shipowners, have published revised guidelines on pirates and armed robbers, with recommendations to masters and ship security officers.
   The revised edition of the guidelines takes account of the International Maritime Organization’s new International Ship and Port Facility Security code. The associations envisage that the guidelines will be used for the training of ship security officers.
   The appointment and training of ship security officers are mandatory requirements under the International Ship and Port Facility Security code. However, there are currently no prescriptive competence standards of training applicable to the ship security officers. According to the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Maritime Organization is currently preparing such competence standards, but they will not be finalized until after the July 1 deadline for implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security code.
   The expanded edition of the guidelines provides advice on where pirate attacks occur, with regional maps and data. They contain guidance on how to prevent attacks, and what to do in the event of an incident, taking account of the ship security plan now required by the International Ship and Port Facility Security code.
   “In view of the enormous energy that is currently being expended on security issues, it is ironic that the problem of piracy and armed robbery at sea is still being given inadequate attention by the international community,” said Simon Bennett, secretary of the International Chamber of Shipping. The number of attacks involving death or injury to seafarers is unacceptable, he added.