Danish shipowners whose vessels pass through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden are introducing barbed wire on their vessels to prevent piracy or at least to delay boarding pirates until naval help can arrive.
According to Politiken, Denmark’s global Clipper Group tested the method on its CEC Accord vessel last week.
“It is very effective,” says Clipper Group CEO Per Gullestrup, who adds that results of the tests have caused the Group to introduce barbed wire on all of its vessels passing the Gulf.
“It’s so cheap that there’s just no excuse not to do it,” Gullestrup says.
The Clipper Group is one of the first lines to introduce the method. One of the world’s largest container lines A.P. Møller-Mærsk of Denmark says that it is also studying various security methods to stop piracy, including barbed wire. According to Politiken’s information, barbed wire has already been installed on some of the company’s vessels.
The Danish Shipowners Association supports the initiative.
“It is important to take initiatives. This is something that has been discussed over the past six months and Clipper is among the first to introduce it,” says Association spokesman René Piil Pedersen.
The introduction of barbed wire is designed to delay pirates from boarding so that naval vessels patrolling the area have time to reach ships under attack.
“As soon as a helicopter arrives, the pirates withdraw. But if they manage to board a vessel, the battle has been lost,” Gullestrup says.
[
link to politiken.dk]
Belgium
