Small, fast boats with a handful of armed mariners are an “emerging way to handle the [piracy] problem in a safe way,” said Jim Jorrie, CEO of Espada Logistics and Security-MENA, a San Antonio-based company offering such services.
But shipping industry experts frown on the practice.
“It slightly smacks of vigilantism to me,” said Tony Mason, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping and International Shipping Federation.
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Yet again, who the hell does this Tony Mason dude think he is? This kind of leadership and commentary, is exactly what has made the piracy problem flourish in the first place. Where is the mention of the right to self defense? Or does Tony not care about this basic human right on the high seas? This attitude just kills me, and it is guys like this that keep promoting it.
If a company wants to protect it’s boat and people from armed pirates, then they should have every right in the world to do so. If they want to put armed guys on a boat, or hire out the Yemeni Coast Guard to protect their goods and people, then so be it.
And where does Mason get off on calling this Vigilantism? What a terrible choice of words, and it is this attitude that got the shipping industry into the trouble it is in today. You have pirates who are applying a business model that works, and is only empowering them to do more, and you have a shipping industry that would much rather roll the dice with pirates, or just pay the ransom. It is this attitude of ‘non-action’, which is allowing this vile practice of piracy to flourish. Pffft. I call arming the boats self-defense, and certainly the right of all companies that care about the lives of their people.
The other point that I wanted to mention, is the Yemeni Coast Guard and the Tanzanian Navy both being hired by shipping corporations, is pretty wild. Talk about pre-Westphalia. lol –Matt
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Hired guns secure ships, stir controversy
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Monday, February 15, 2010
NAPLES, Italy — As the world struggles to stop piracy in the waters off the coast of Africa and the Middle East, several companies have stepped forward to provide armed escort boats for commercial ships.
Small, fast boats with a handful of armed mariners are an “emerging way to handle the [piracy] problem in a safe way,” said Jim Jorrie, CEO of Espada Logistics and Security-MENA, a San Antonio-based company offering such services.
But shipping industry experts frown on the practice.
“It slightly smacks of vigilantism to me,” said Tony Mason, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping and International Shipping Federation.