'Merchant ships should be armed' to combat piracy

Manama: The senior British Royal Navy commander in the Gulf has called for merchant shipping to hire mercenaries in response to the increasing danger of piracy.

At a time when a record number of ships have been hijacked off Somalia, Cdre Keith Winstanley said he believed that the situation has become so serious that civilian vessels should be armed.

He said that private security companies working in Iraq or Afghanistan could be better used guarding ships, which in pirate-infested regions need a "visual deterrent" such as mounted heavy machine guns.

"This coalition headquarters is advocating that as an option," he told The Daily Telegraph.

If his suggestion were adopted, it would be the first time that merchant seamen have been significantly armed since the Second World War.

With insurance rates for ships spiralling as the kidnappers move on to seizing major vessels - some worth $5 million (Dh18.4 million) or more in ransom - the problem is having an effect on international market prices.

There are 12 commercial ships with 240 crew being held by pirates along the Somali coast, the most prominent being a Ukrainian freighter with 33 T72 Russian tanks.

International flotilla

A flotilla of German, Danish, US and now British ships has deterred up to 15 attacks in the last six weeks. The Type 23 frigate Northumberland has joined the force this week as the first dedicated British anti-pirate ship.

But Cdre Winstanley, who commands the 11 Royal Navy ships in the region from his headquarters in Bahrain, said that greater efforts were needed to stop the surge in piracy.

"We have never seen as many ships hijacked or crews held hostage," he said. "Last year they went for large fishing dhows or small coastal vessels. Well now, they are attacking and seizing vessels over 70,000 tons." With 22,000 shipping movements through the area each year it is important to the world economy to keep it secure.

Cdre Winstanley said: "There is a very active debate at the moment about whether or not the international shipping community employs armed security detachments. It is a measure we are encouraging people to at least consider. This has got to be a business decision and its going to cost money."

The commodore also advised ships to use "speed and manoeuvre" when accosted by the smaller pirate ships which use AK47 assault rifles or rocket-propelled grenades to force the vessels to heave too. Some ships have rigged fire hoses as a last line of defence.

The naval coalition in the region has recently sunk two pirate skiffs, and destroyed or seized a large quantity of weaponry.

Dozens of Somali criminals have also been detained. If piracy continues, shipping companies may be forced to send ships from the Gulf and the Far East round by the Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal on a costly 20-day diversion.