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Ships must be armed, counter-piracy US official says
Ports and Ships website reports that a US State department official in charge of counter-piracy policy, Thomas Kelly, says the advent of armed guards on board merchant ships was a turning point in the battle against piracy.
Many container ships and tankers now carry armed guards, leaving pirates with fewer targets to go after.
"It's hard enough to climb up the side of a ship with a Kalashnikov on your back but it's harder when you have someone shooting down at you," Kelly said, adding that pirates tend to look for softer target.
According to Ports and Ships website, it is apparently not unusual for fishermen, in an area where the uncontrolled spread of weaponry has become endemic, to carry small arms in their boats to defend themselves against both pirates and other lawless elements that are found in these seas.
Read the full article on ports.co.za
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