Dublin: A leading maritime security expert has poured cold water on the need for armed guards when transiting through waters near Somalia.
Daren Knight (pictured), who founded Knight Associates in Ireland in early 2012, told our sister site Maritime CEO: “You have seen how Somali piracy has dropped off. Just 0.1% of ships go near there. Not all shipping needs armed guards, there is a time and place for them.
“Having armed guards onboard is sticking a plaster over a broken leg,” he said, the broken leg being Somali piracy. “You are not fixing anything in the long term. Keeping armed guards on ships forever is only going to be an unnecessary cost to commercial shipping owners, when it’s a level of defence that is not proportional to the threat.”
PMSCs still have a place, however. Knight suggests they are most needed when a vessel is small or difficult to defend.
For the full interview, click here. [24/10/13]
