Despite the success of armed guards in com[ds_preview]bating piracy, international shipping association Bimco has voiced serious concerns about the apparently sizeable number of private maritime security firms (PMSCs) that are operating on ships without legitimate permits and licences to transport and carry weapons.
They are well-known as an important factor in the fight against piracy in different regions of the world, preventing pirates from entering merchant vessels. But since they started operating, there has always been critics regarding armed guard and their use of weapons. Now, Bimco said, it has been made aware that some PMSCs are using weapons rented or borrowed from other security companies. According to the association, this is an illegal practice because the weapons are not legitimately licenced to the end user. »It is being done to save on operating costs to undercut legitimately operated PMSCs«, Bimco says.
Updated guidance for working with guards
To drive home the importance of validating end user licences it has now updated the guidance on Clause 10 of »Guardcon« to clarify the responsibilities of owners and contractors in respect of permits and licences. »Under a number of recognised 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). The consequences for owners whose flag state fails to verify the authenticity of firearms EUCs before issuing letters of authority could be significant delays to the ship or even ship detentions«, it was said in a statement.
Giles Noakes, Head of Maritime Security at Bimco, added: »This is an extremely important issue for the industry and parties should take very careful note of the legal obligations under GUARDCON for the carriage of firearms on board merchant ships.« In his voew, flag states would have an essential role to play in verifying the EUCs of private maritime security companies »to ensure that everyone complies with the legal framework.«
