I haven’t read the thread...so forgive me, but what is the reasoning behind the crew of the ship being unarmed?
Thanks!
Liability. Those authorized to allow such equipment do not want to be held liable for doing so.
Commercial ships are always unarmed. In part it's just company policy, but there are also treaties that control such things and there are legal problems as they go from port to port under various different jurisdictions.
It's unfortunate. A couple of guys with rifles could make a big ship all but impossible to board.