U.S. ships must post guards if sailing off Somalia

Yahoo / Reuters ^ | 5/12/2009 | Jane Sutton

[EagleUSA]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard will require U.S.-flagged ships sailing around the Horn of Africa to post guards and ship owners to submit anti-piracy security plans for approval, a Coast Guard official said on Tuesday.

The new requirements, which respond to a surge of piracy off the coast of Somalia, allow ship owners to decide whether to use armed or unarmed guards, Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson told shipping industry representatives at a maritime security meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The revised Maritime Security Directive, highly anticipated by the shipping industry, was signed on Monday by Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen.

"We expect to see additional security on U.S.-flagged vessels that transit these waters," said Watson, the Coast Guard's director of prevention policy.

[EagleUSA]

Finally, some good news -- seems so strange. But finally some sanity surfaces from the Logic Free Zone of Washington, DC. Letting our ships protect themselves against criminals on the high seas.

Semper Peratus!!!

[Marysecretary]

I’d say it was about time.

[navyblue]

allow ship owners to decide whether to use armed or unarmed guards....

Unarmed. Yeah, that'll do a lot a good.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

I’m looking for work...

[El Gato]

To bad we can't organize a nice FR Republic cruise on a Q-ship. You know, one that looks like a helpless cruise liner, and is, except for all the "armed to the teeth and then some", passengers.

Pirate shooting on the promenade deck whenever appropriate targets present themselves. Maybe some practice at a towed target off the stern when no "good" targets are around.

[DannyTN]

"ship owners to decide whether to use armed or unarmed guards To protect their vessels with armed guards or to provide additional hostages"

There fixed it!

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

I’m in...

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Unarmed guards? Like the tits on a boar hog, totally useless!

[matthew fuller]

""It can involve the use of firearms," he said, but added, "We are looking for things that work but that don't make the situation worse.""

This brief article is very sparse in it's information... as in "what type of firearms?" are rpg's allowed? .50 cal's or larger? Full automatics??????? The bad guys are known to use rpg's.

[KingNo155]

" The U.S. Coast Guard will require U.S.-flagged ships sailing around the Horn of Africa to post guards and ship owners to submit anti-piracy security plans " BULLSHOT If this were half true why did our navy evade a pirate attack instead of bringing the fight to the enemy? Does the US Navy need permission from the coast guard or the President?

[Squantos]

Hunting over bait ?

Dang trophy hunter....:o)

[Don W]

Once again, from the top, for the wilfully ignorant:

A USNS ship is an UNARMED CIVILIAN vessel in the service of the US Navy.

What did you expect them to do, throw MRE’s at the pirates?

[fredhead]

Hey, add a “pirate launcher” on the fantail for some skeet practice, and I’m in.

[JimRed]

...allow ship owners to decide whether to use armed or unarmed guards...

WTH good would UNARMED guards be?