AN official from maritime security contractor made an appeal in London to port authorities world to ease restrictions on conveyance of firearms by properly trained, licensed and insured personnel.
Speaking at the recent Port Security Summit Conference in London, MAST (Maritime Asset Security and Training) official Peter Astbury said that given the record of piracy, safety at sea cannot be guaranteed by governments.
"Port authorities have a critical role in ensuring they have transparent, predictable, practical procedures for the embarkation and disembarkation of firearms by certified private security teams," he said.
"The future of security in the marine environment is about cooperation between the public and private sector," said Mr Astbury, MAST's senior ship and yacht contingency response negotiator.
"The use of armed guards on ships in exceptional circumstances is likely to ebb and flow but will not disappear," he said.
These procedures should be dovetailed with the existing obligations and procedures as required by the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS).
"The good news," he said, "is that the United Kingdom's Accreditation Service [UKAS] now has a framework in place in the UK for private maritime security companies [PMSCs] to be certified to the new, provisional ISO standard and have submitted themselves to a rigorous audit by UKAS accredited auditors," he said.
"The emergence of a small group of certified PMSCs with high quality insurance is evidence of an industry that is maturing and becoming an accepted part of the management of risk in the marine environment," he said.
MAST, with offices in the UK, US, Malta, Oman, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Singapore and China, has pioneered the provision of on board security in the Gulf of Guinea.
PORTS
03 December 2014 - 23:37
Security contractor asks port authorities ease private firearms movements
AN official from maritime security contractor made an appeal in London to port authorities world to ease restrictions on conveyance of firearms by properly trained, licensed and insured personnel.
PORTS
03 December 2014 - 23:37
Security contractor asks port authorities ease private firearms movements
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