Video Captures Armed Guards Firing at Pirates

Bloomberg News Video Shows Onboard Security Team in Action 

Armed guards onboard the bulk carrier, AVOCET, fire at a skiff believed to be carrying pirates. The Marshall Islands-flagged ship was sailing in the Indian Ocean when a skiff approached the ship’s starboard side. The armed guards we ordered to fire warning shots at the skiff. The guard’s fire at the skiff until it crashes into the side of the bulk carrier and trails behind the ship. A second skiff approaches and the guards take aim.

The ship’s security provider, Trident Group Inc., says the incident on March 25, 2011 was the second attempt to hijack the ship in just three days. Guards used deadly force after identifying rocket propelled grenades onboard the first skiff that attempted boarding.

The video was presented at a conference in December and was recently made public. The violence depicted in the video has sparked debate on the level of force acceptable in combating piracy on the high seas.

Piracy costs the world economy an estimated $7 Billion each year and threatens the safety of mariners, prompting many ship owners to take full precaution to keep trade moving through dangerous waters.