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Britain announces U-turn on arming merchant vessels

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 02:31 PM PDT

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that merchant vessels flying the red ensign will be allowed to carry armed guards for protection against acts of piracy. Previous governments have been opposed to arming the merchant marine, but with no sign of a respite in acts of piracy on the high seas and naval assets spread thin, the decision has been welcomed as a common sense measure that could save ship owners and the insurance market many millions of pounds. The announcement comes following talks at the recently concluded Commonwealth Heads of State meeting in Australia. Many member states face the same escalating piracy issue in the waters of their shores. The home secretary will be given the power to license maritime armed guards under the new plan, but they can only be deployed while passing through dangerous waters, such as the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. The piracy issue has been the subject of continued debate at Transport Security Expo in recent years. This event brings experts in fields of maritime, aviation and supply chain security together annually to debate the most pressing issues and help to identify solutions to them. When last held in September, [...]