Maersk commissions own warship to confront Somali pirates

AP MOLLER-MAERSK has commissioned a private warship from a Danish security firm operating from Tanzania to prevent its vessels being attacked by pirates in waters off the Horn of Africa, reports the Copenhagen Post.

Maersk has manned the ship with security contractors, mostly ex-special forces personnel, working for a Danish security firm Guardian-Global Business Security.

"The waters east of Africa are a grey zone because developing countries don't have resources to fight pirates. It's a temporary solution that a shipper has hired a warship from another country, but there's no alternative," Jan Fritz Hansen, vice-president of the Danish Shipowners' Association.

Steffen Jacobsen, technical director at Maersk Tankers, said the company first made sure the action was legal before going ahead with the move. "That's why we chose it as an alternative solution to a very critical situation."

(Source: www.schednet.com)