This week the Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates for the third time in the last two years.    In April of 2009, pirates boarded the Maersk containership and took her captain, Richard Phillips, hostage.  He was later rescued when Navy sharpshooters killed the pirates who were holding him.  Then in November of 2009, another group of pirates attacked the ship, but were driven off by armed guards aboard the ship.    This week, fire from armed personnel on the ship also drove off the pirates.

Pirates target the Maersk Alabama again

The use of armed guards to defend against pirates directly contradicts the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) “BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO DETER PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA AND IN THE ARABIAN SEA AREA,”  which says simply “6.11  The use of additional private security guards is at the discretion of the company, but the use of armed guards is not recommended.”   The concern has been that use of fire arms by the ship’s security force could lead to a firefight where seafarers would be killed.   As pirates have recently murdered two sailors on a merchant ship and four aboard a private yacht, the assumption that hijacked sailors will not be harmed by the pirate has had to be reconsidered.  Also, “so far, no vessel with armed guards on board has been successfully seized” by pirates.

Armed Merchant Ships, It Seems to be Working

As the multi-national naval flotilla has continued its policy of “catch and release” of pirates and as piracy has spread across from the Horn of Africa across the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea,  ship owners are increasingly hiring armed security details to ride their ships.   In January of this year it was confirmed that A.P.Moller-Maersk  has hired soldiers to protect its ships in pirate infested waters and had even chartered a Tanzanian warship to protect the tanker, Brigit Maersk, from pirates.

Norwegian and German owners are also reportedly arming their ships.  Today it was reported that the Singapore registered  Brattingborg drove off pirates with gun fire.  “Shipowner Lars Steen Rasmussen was quoted as saying it was the first time the company had armed guards on one of its ships.”    It was also reported that  Dutch yacht was rescued from pirates by forices froma private security firm who were accompanying the vessel.

Dutch Couple Saved From Somali Pirates By Armed Guards

Earlier Thursday, the head of a private security company said his guards retook a yacht from Somali pirates after the Dutch couple on board locked themselves in a safe room.

Thomas Jakobsson of Naval Guards said Thursday that six of his guards were accompanying the Capricorn yacht on a separate motorboat. Six armed pirates were able to get aboard the Capricorn but the Dutch couple barricaded themselves in the boat.

Jakobsson says his men had a brief exchange of fire with the pirates before retaking the Capricorn with no casualties on either side.

Thanks to Phil Leon and Alaric Bond for passing along several of the articles.