Piracy Progress

Regular readers of NBfPB know that I follow and comment on the inexplicable resurgence of the scourge of piracy here at the dawn of the 21 century. Readers will further note that I favor the 19th century solution - watery graves for pirates - to this 19th century problem. Alas, much of the global shipping industry went along with the 21st century solution - international cooperation, under-resourced military escorts, haphazard judicial prosecution, namby-pamby rules of engagement - which has now proven a total failure. Today comes news of the capitulation. The largest ship-owning company in the world, AP Moeller-Maersk, long a holdout against having men with guns on its ships due to its vast global profile and inherent Danish pacifism, has given up on the oh-so-very-modern approach.

Danish shipping AP Moller-Maersk has accepted that armed security personnel are needed on its ships.

The decision to allow selective use of guards on some vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean comes after a thorough legal review, the Maritime Danmark website said.

Progress in my book.