Change of Tack

Given the apparent dependency on private security and the increasing use of armed guards it will come as little surprise to see that the industry view is changing.

As if to prove a point, the International Chamber of Shipping has completed a full volte face and now claims that merchant vessels need armed guards to stop Somali pirates from disrupting world trade.

The organisation’s policy was originally anti-arming, but that has changed. Spokesman Jonathan Roberts, said, “The threat is constantly increasing, and we need to look at new alternatives.”