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BIMCO and PCA Maritime warn over onboard firearms
ZPMC Red Box hires Dutch marines for safe passage through high risk areas.
There is growing concern about the apparently sizeable number of private maritime security firms that are operating on ships without legitimate permits and licences to carry weapons.
T
he intensely competitive nature of the shipping industry is being
reflected in the maritime security market and is contributing to an increase in illegal practices, according to maritime security analyst Peter Cook of PCA Maritime. Demand for onboard
security teams is falling overall, as measures taken to reduce incidents of piracy and kidnapping become more effective and since the designated High Risk Area, off the African coastline was reduced just over a year ago. “The demand has reduced,
so the temptation for shipowners or charterers to use a team without the proper documentation or equipment increases in an effort to cut costs,” explained Cook. BIMCO, the world’s largest
international shipping association, has voiced serious concerns about the “apparently
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sizeable number of private maritime security firms (PMSCs) that are operating on ships without legitimate permits and licences to transport and carry weapons. “Some PMSCs are using
weapons ‘rented’ or ‘borrowed’ from other security companies. This is an illegal practice because the weapons are not legitimately licensed to the end user. It is being done to save on operating costs to undercut legitimately operated PMSCs,” BIMCO said.
One of the main problems is that enforcement is
extremely difficult... so many shipowners feel it is a risk worth taking. – Peter Cook,
PCA Maritime Ltd
Clarification In an effort to clarify the responsibilities of owners and contractors in respect of permits and licences, BIMCO has updated Clause 10 of Guardcon, its recommended standard contract for the engagement of private maritime security companies. BIMCO emphasises that
under a number of recognised January/February 2017
international conventions, the firearms end user certificate (EUC) has to be officially authorised by a government agency from the exporting country. The conventions also require the ship’s flag state to verify the authenticity of the EUC before issuing letters of authority to allow the ship to have the weapons on board. “One of the main problems
is that enforcement is extremely difficult, especially in international waters, so many shipowners feel it is a risk worth taking,” said Cook. “Flag states are commercially competitive and even the more responsible ones do not necessarily have the resources to ensure their ships are compliant.” Another factor is that many
security teams are employed for a single voyage, from the Suez Canal to Sri Lanka, for example. “And while it is easy to fly the personnel on to where they are next needed, it is not so easy to transport weapons. So another security company may ‘hire’
those weapons for use on a ship which they are protecting from Sri Lanka back to Suez.”
New measures Cook is pleased that the measures he has helped to develop with BIMCO, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and others, such as the 100 Series Rules for the Use of Force and the ISO 28007 standard, have brought higher standards of protection to the private maritime security market. “They bring a minimum
layer of quality assurance that helps shipowners, charterers, insurers and flag states ensure that the security companies they employ will operate legitimately.” The demand for protection
will not disappear, he said. It is unlikely that naval forces will continue to patrol forever and, as shipowners inevitably become more complacent, the pirates are likely to seize new opportunities to attack.
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