Cyprus Parliament to Allow Armed Guards on Board Ships

Cyprus Parliament to Allow Armed Guards on Board Ships

Triggered by growing pirate threats endangering safety of merchant ships, the Members of Cyprus Parliament have unanimously supported a bill, enabling the ships to have armed guards and use weaponry in order to defend themselves in case of pirate attacks, ITAR-TASS announced.

This is the first bill of its kind in the EU legislative system, applicable to all Cypriot-flagged ships and its main objective is to provide legislative framework that will protect merchant ship crews from different types of illicit acts, including attempts of kidnapping crew members.

[mappress]
Naval Today Staff, June 5, 2012; Image: SeaSecurity