Armed Security Teams Unregulated.

Anyone who sails for a living knows how many hoops you have to jump thought to obtain the credentials to work about ships today. In contrast the requirements needed to start a shipboard security company is a web page and a list of your old Blackwater buddies


From Reuters article Shippers weigh armed response to Somali piracy

Peter Hinchliffe, marine director with industry association the International Chamber of Shipping, told an IMO meeting on piracy last week there were concerns over the "proliferating private armies of security guards", who were also unregulated.

"These relate to issues of legality and liability for the use of lethal force, collateral damage and shipboard safety," he said.

John Dalby, chief executive of Spanish based MRM, which provides armed and unarmed personnel to merchant vessels, said he had concerns about the type of security companies now approaching shippers. "Some have been kicked out (of Iraq and Afghanistan) for bad practice and being too ready to use the gun," he said.

"They are punting for work out there (Somalia) and some are getting it and making grave errors. There have been unnecessary shootings and instances spiraling out of control when firearms were not necessary," he said

Transiting the Gulf of Aden without an embarked security team the ship is faced with the risk of an attack by pirates. With an embarked security team the captain may instead be faced with the all the risks associated with having a group of inexperienced, untrained, undisciplined, but very enthusiastic armed men with an unsophisticated world view, particularly with regards to the use of lethal force.


K.C.

Arming Crew - Time to trade in the Needle Gun?

Candy Ass Non-Lethal Defense Force 80 Water Cannon Found at Coming Anarchy

The Real Deal - M2 Machine Gun, Browning .50 Caliber

Many people believe that arming crews is the simple and obvious answer to the problem of piracy. I don't agree. My previous posts ( Arming Senior Offices and Arming Crew)

My crew might get arms, so I need to start planning, here is what I've come up with so far

The Nav Team
The Nav Team is already on the bridge so these guys, the two with the gray hair, they will be manning the 50 caliber machine guns on the wings. You can see my helmsman is dressed for action.


The Engine Dept.


Here some of my engine room crew, They will be manning the two machine guns on the stern. If the gun jams, you know these guy will be able clear it.



The Cook The cook will have to run into the galley from time to time to stir the soup, so she will crew the midships guns.


Kennebec Captain (QM3) fires off a few rounds - M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun (photo 1977 Aleutian Islands)

And me of course, I'll be on the flying bridge for 360 degree defense, gloriously firing away - All you folks worried about harming innocent fisherman and whining about human rights violations - look out for those spent shells!

This is all meant tongue-in-cheek of course, seriously, the best defense for one ship might not work on another, I don't pretend to know the answers myself. I have sailed with lots of good, competent professional mariners whom I would not hesitate to arm. On the other hand I've had crew I wouldn't trust with a needle gun, much less a machine gun.

K.C.

Arming Senior Officers

Kennebec Captain (QM3) fires off a few rounds - M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun (photo 1977 Aleutian Islands)

Capt. Richard Phillips is in front of congress advocating that senior shipboard officers be armed, while his boss, Maersk Inc. Chairman John P. Clancey, sitting next to him, disagrees. Rescued captain advises Congress on piracy

Or at least disagrees in absolute terms, in relative terms they are in agreement, don't arm my subordinates, or at least not anyone beyond my immediate subordinates.

I know Capt Phillips, he's a good, tough seaman, and, as we know, a brave man.

Having said that, I am familiar with this philosophy - the only crew you can trust to get things done is the Chief Engineer, the first and the mate. The problem is that when an emergency strikes, the senior officers will have their hands full.

I say in for a penny in for a pound. If your going to arm your crews arm them, don't take half way measures that limits the effectiveness in an emergency.

K.C.

My post, Arming Merchant Crews - here

The (Unarmed) Defense of the Biscaglia

Bob Couttie has the details on the hijacking of the Biscaglia
Fourth Time Unlucky for Shipboard Security Team

"Reports remain confused however we believe that the embarked 3 man APMSS security team, comprising former British military servicemen, were able to mount sustained, non-lethal, resistance, denying the attacker’s access to the ship long enough for the ship’s operating crew to seek safety below decks and to summon assistance from coalition warships."

Sounds like this was a textbook response to an attack and yet the pirates were able to seize the vessel

I can anticipate what the armchair gunners response to this incident is going to be - the British guards should have been armed. A couple of weeks ago I would have agreed. Now I am not so sure.

A lot of people dismiss the argument that it is unwise to arm merchant ships and mariners, the argument being that doing so will simply raise the level of violence.

I think it would be wise to give some though as to whether or not we want to increase the volume, velocity and weight of flying projectiles around my ship and crew in hopes of mitigating the pirate problem.

K.C.

Arming merchant crew

In the comments over at gcaptain and Eagle Speak there is some suggestions to arm ship's crews to defend against pirates. Capt Kelly Sweeny makes a good argument at Professional Mariner.

Any proposals to arm crews would have to include plans to train crews in the use of firearms. The problem of declining standards of seamanship skills and overworked crews seems to have been overlooked.

Does it make sense to spend time and money training merchant crews in the use of lethal force? The reluctance to arm crews is not because of any squeamishness or some kind of misguided political correctness but practicality. I get ABs from time to time that can not be taught to steer. At safety meetings we still are trying to get the concept of wearing eye protection when using power tools across to the crew, with limited success. Where is the time to train and supervise crew armed with automatic weapons going to come from?

In practice arming ship's crew across the spectrum of shipping would be very difficult. Ship's crews will always be responsibly in large part for on board security but in areas where the threat is high, the Gulf of Aden for example, ships will require shore-side assistance. The required extra security will have to come from either to riding crews, naval forces or both.

At Marinelink is an article that discusses real world problems with arming merchant crews.

K.C.