Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
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Defending Against Piracy Private armed security teams. by MR. OWEN DOHERTY 'LUHFWRU 2IÀFH RI 6HFXULW\ U.S. Maritime Administration The practice of using privately contracted armed security personnel on merchant vessels is relatively new and on the rise. To date, there has not been a single successful pirate attack against a vessel with an armed security team, according to Andrew J. Sha- piro, assistant secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State. $ QXPEHU RI ÁDJ VWDWHV DUH SHUPLWWLQJ RFHDQ FDUUL- ers to use armed security teams and more vessels are starting to employ them. Most often, the teams are ex- military personnel, highly trained, and familiar with the maritime environment. However, ship operators must perform due diligence to select a service pro- vider, and many operators worry that, as more teams are established, there could be a drop in their quality. The Challenges Operational challenges include moving weapons to and from vessels and securing weapons during a port call. There are individual port-state control restriction issues that continue to be addressed by government and the private sector. For example, several port states restrict either port calls with weapons aboard and/ or do not allow for weapons transfer to and from a vessel. The International Maritime Organization Facilita- tion Committee is working to address port state DQG ÁDJ VWDWH UHVWULFWLRQV 8 6 &XVWRPV; DQG %RUGHU 3URWHFWLRQ HQIRUFHV ,QWHUQDWLRQDO 7UDIÀF LQ $UPV Regulations, which provide options to ship weapon SDFNDJHV DSSOLFDEOH IRU 8 6 ÁDJJHG YHVVHOV DQG 8 6 ports. Additionally, the U.S. Maritime Administra- tion (MARAD), U.S. Department of State, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Department of Defense work with 8 6 ÁDJJHG FDUULHUV WR IDFLOLWDWH ZHDSRQV PRYHPHQW www.uscg.mil/proceedings Vulnerability Assessments The Maritime Administration has teamed with experts from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), U.S. Transportation Command, and Military Sealift Command to conduct anti-piracy assessments for U.S.-flagged vessels. These assessments provide an opportunity for the vessel master and company security officer to learn from the assessment team and to share their knowledge and innova- tions, to better protect the vessel. MARAD/NCIS anti-piracy assistance teams have conducted more than 40 visits aboard U.S.-flagged vessels since April 2009. The program has been so successful that the U.S. Coast Guard, which reviews vessel security plans for all U.S. documented vessels, recommends that vessels participate annually. Anti-piracy assistance team assessment. Photo courtesy of the Mari- time Administration. Spring 2012 Proceedings 43 Prevention