We recently featured an article in which there was seeming confusion as to appropriate number of armed guards. We were kindly contacted by Giles Noakes of BIMCO who was concerned that articles on the matter had not captured fully the letter or spirit of the debate.
We were reminded that in the recent debate on armed guard numbers which followed the presentation in question, BIMCO chief security officer Giles Noakes said that although Guardcon stipulates teams of four, many shipowners used three guards.
Mr Noakes said that if owners thought the risk was sufficient and could justify the decision in a court of law in the event of a civil claim, BIMCO had no problem with smaller teams.
However, “our risk analysis of vessels shows that to achieve 360-degree vision, four guards would seem to be the minimum requirement”, he said.
We are pleased to be able to put the record straight, and it is a welcome and important debate to have.
Via: Shiptalk.com
