IMO urges states to facilitate the passage of ships with armed guards

The International Maritime Organisation , IMO, has called on port and coastal states to “facilitate” the passage of armed guards and their weapons on merchant ships at risk of pirate attack.
The circular agreed this week will have implications on the ability of shipowners to freely access the security provisions dictated by their risk assessments – and the moves appear to be a clear message that States should not to obstruct the increasingly widespread use of vessel protection detachments.
The IMO is trying to tread the fine divide between facilitating the use of armed guards, while not wishing to “endorse or institutionalize” their use.
Many security providers see these moves as welcome news, and as many have struggled to legitimately provide the services demanded by clients, it seems that these IMO moves are a positive step to clarifying the procedures and rules towards for getting personnel and equipment in and out of various nation states.
At its inter-session meeting of the (IMO) Maritime Security and Piracy Working Group of the Maritime Safety Committee, which held in London recently, the IMO called for member states to ‘facilitate’ the passage of ships with armed guards as a necessary means of combating piracy.
Source: Vanguard