The Dutch Council of Ministers will create legislation that will allow ship owners to use armed private security guards to protect certain categories of Dutch merchant ships against piracy near Somalia.
Earlier the administration indicated it would research whether existing security measures taken by the Ministry of Defence were sufficient. On 10 April, Minister Hennis-Plasschaert of Defence admitted to the Dutch Parliament there are limits to military protection and that the administration's earlier view of not allowing private security would be reconsidered.
Piracy Cost 7 Billion Dollars in 2011
Piracy threatens the transport of goods from and to the Dutch ports. These goods are of great importance to the Dutch economy. Every year, between 20,000 and 30,000 ships pass the Indian Ocean, and sail through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden. In 2011 global piracy was estimated to cost 7 billion dollars.
Marines Protect Ships
Protecting merchant ships is a policy priority for the Dutch administration. That is why the Netherlands plays an active role in the anti-piracy operations Atalanta (EU) and Ocean Shield (Nato). The Government also gives advice to ship owners on how to best protect their ships. In addition, as of 2011, ship owners can request security teams of marines, so called Vessel Protection Detachments (VPD), to protect vulnerable ships.
Recently, the 50th VPD was employed to protect ships sailing under the Dutch flag. Every year, Defence has 175 VPDs available.
Number of Hijackings Drops
The combination of protective measures is currently sufficient for an important part of Dutch merchant ships. In part due to Dutch military support, the number of hijackings and successful attacks decreased. The number of hijacked ships dropped from twenty in 2011 to five in 2012, to two in 2013 so far. The number of crew held hostage has dropped from 500 to sixty.
New Legislation to Allow Private Security
The Administration has concluded that the needs of ship owners cannot always be met, mostly in terms of flexibility in the time to handle a request, the team size, the cost in comparison to private security and geographical reach. That is why the administration will supply legislation that will allow the use of private security under strict, yet to be defined, terms and conditions for certain categories of transport in the high risk area near Somalia.
Picture: The US Navy in pursuit of pirates (by US Navy)
