Merchant Marine

  • Good Cop, Bad Cop

    The difficult question of whether to use armed guards on ships is being aired often and at great length at the moment. While solutions like group transits, the IRTC and […]

  • Violent Escalation

    It was long held that the Somali pirates weren’t really violent – some even proffered a “Pirate Code of Conduct” as evidence that they wouldn’t hurt seafarers or damage vessels or cargoes. […]

  • Spot And Soak

    Supplying technical solutions to shipping has always been big business. Alas the anti-piracy kit locker is filled with the abandoned detritus of false hopes and equipment which sounded wonderful in theory, […]

  • End Piracy Now

    The ITF issued a heartfelt “Thank you” last month to the million people who have put their signature to the petition calling on governments to take steps to end piracy. […]

  • Praise For Action

    BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO congratulate the governments of the Republic of Korea and of Malaysia, and their naval and joint action forces, on repossessing from […]

  • New Cause For Concern

    A recent incident could signal a worrying development in the tactics employed by Somali pirates, the IMB said earlier this month. Suspected Somali pirates boarded a general cargo vessel but […]

  • Call For Caution

    The International Maritime Bureau while welcoming the recent capture of pirates has joined with EUNAVFOR in cautioning against navies engaging in armed assault of pirated ships. The successful interventions of […]

  • No Change in Approach

    The past week has seen an increased use of force to deal with pirates. Successful raids by Malaysian and South Korean navies have led to the rescue of two ships […]

  • Union Applies Pressure

    Nautilus International, is acting to keep the issues of piracy and the threats posed to crews  in the UK Governments eye. The Union, which represents almost 23,000 shipmasters, officers, cadets, […]

  • Evidence Stacks Up

    The past few months have seen a perceptible change in the approach of many shipping companies to the fight against piracy. A host of large companies are turning from unarmed […]