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Senate committee hears call to arm merchantmen against pirates
THE US government is being urged to pass new law to permit seamen to carry guns against pirates in the India Ocean, a call made by the owner of the Liberty Sun at a recent US Senate hearing. US-flagged bulk carrier the Liberty Sun had fended off an attack by armed Somali pirates on April 15 and Liberty Maritime Corp president Phillip Shapiro noted that in the early 19th century US-flagged vessels were permitted to carry arms, but 20th century State Department rules were too restrictive. "Today's legal framework actually prevents owners from arming their vessels for self-defence," Mr Shapiro said, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce. "Additionally, shipowners risk being second-guessed in US courts for self-defensive measures that were common in 1817." Mr Shapiro said that the International Traffic in Arms regulations permit a US ship to carry small-calibre weapons, provided the vessel receives permission to have them aboard from each port of call. The process is said to be so complex that it's all but impossible to carry arms. He also said ship owners "risk being second-guessed in both US and foreign courts" if the guns are used and someone is killed or wounded. In the absence of shipboard weaponry, or until a new law allowing ships to arm themselves, Mr Shapiro called for US Navy ships to provide escorts, or put government security teams aboard in high-risk zones. Mr Shapiro said the attack on his ship may have been a "revenge" move, following the death of three pirates in a US Navy Seal operation that freed the captain of the US-flagged containership Maersk Alabama, which was the target of an attack a week earlier. The master of that ship, Richard Phillips, told the Senate Commerce Subcommittee for Maritime Affairs, that ships' officers should be armed, and also be provided with security guards. Capt Phillips also should be fortified with extra layers of protection, including three layers of armoured doors leading to a safe room for crew, which the Maersk Alabama did not have, adding that recently pirates now deployed night attacks, when ships are most vulnerable.
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