Vigilante Ship Crews Want to Shoot Back

The maritime world is sick of hijackings and ready to take matters into their own hands.

While there is compelling evidence to suggest that international naval cooperative efforts have contributed to a reduction in the number of successful attacks, owners and managers of vessels operating in the area are asking themselves whether the use of armed guards, or armed crew, is the only logical next step to deter pirates, and protect both vessel and crew. The carriage and use of firearms raise potentially serious issues of criminal liability for owners and crew, but another key consideration will be whether the carriage and use of defensive weapons, on board, will impact on the owners' insurance cover.

I'm curious how criminal liability applies if you're defending your vessel from an attacker. Anyone smart enough on the laws out there to answer that one?

By: Brant