American warship MV Boxer on board with several war planes and armoury trucks at the port of Mombasa. PHOTO | FILE
NATION MEDIA GROUP
By PAUL REDFERN
In Summary
- While attacks on merchant shipping off the East African and Somali coast have declined in the past two years — partially because of the presence of an international naval force in the area — there is concern that weapons stored on floating armouries could end up being used for purposes for which they were not originally intended.
Dozens of floating armouries — ships packed with
machine-guns, ammunition and other military equipment — are operating
in international waters off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of
Aden with a “worrying lack” of regulation according to a new report.
The report Floating Armouries: Implications and
risks, by the UK-based Omega Research Foundation, says the vessels could
pose a threat to “regional peace and stability.” This is because of “a
serious lack of regulation and oversight” in the operation and use of
these floating armouries, which are increasingly being used by private
maritime security companies to store and transfer weapons.
The armouries were set up to supply private
security guards employed to protect shipping from pirates, particularly
off the East African coast. The report — commissioned by the Remote
Control Project, a body that raises awareness of new military trends —
said there was an “urgent need” for an international agreement to set
minimum standards for the vessels.
While attacks on merchant shipping off the East
African and Somali coast have declined in the past two years — partially
because of the presence of an international naval force in the area —
there is concern that weapons stored on floating armouries could end up
being used for purposes for which they were not originally intended.
The report said that 12 of the vessels it
investigated were registered to “blacklisted states” such as Mongolia,
which “are known to have worryingly low regulatory standards on seagoing
vessels.”
It said there should be frequent safety checks,
and companies should not be allowed to use flags of convenience issued
by nations that have been internationally blacklisted for low maritime
standards. The report also found that there is no centrally managed,
publicaly available register of floating armouries.
Other concerns centred on the lack of information
on the number of weapons and quantity of ammunition stored on the
floating armouries.
The report points out that there is currently no
international body that evaluates the construction of floating
armouries, raising concern over the security, storage and disposal of
weapons.
Andrew Smith, a spokesman for the UK-based
organisation Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “The lack of regulation
and transparency is particularly concerning. Putting more weapons into
unstable environments can bring unforeseen and deadly consequences.”
Omega Research Foundation concludes by saying that
co-ordinated international action is required to address the worrying
lack of regulation. Caroline Donnellan, manager of the Remote Control
project, said,
“The report highlights the need for urgent action to address the overall operations of floating armouries.”
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