The latest concept making the rounds in the fight against Indian Ocean piracy may be undone before it gets started.
A major maritime insurance conglomerate has been pooling hundreds of millions of dollars and obtaining the necessary approval sign offs to implement a private anti-piracy military force.
However, recent rescue-related events have put this already tenuous idea into further doubt.
With the deaths of four American yachters during negotiations between the U.S. Navy and their Somali captors, and the friendly fire gunshot inflicted upon a hijacked captain by South Korean military rescuers, the private sector rescue planners are considering whether the indemnification doubts are worth the risk.
If highly trained military operations result in casualties to the hostages, what kind of liability risks will private operators potentially face?
One anonymous Property and Indemnity (P & I) attorney tells us that in order for a private contractor to get approval to deploy a rescue force to free a hijacked commercial ship, they would need to have ”the flag state, company, unions and crew all sign off in advance.”
There are currently pending cases against shipping companies by crewmembers who suffered through hijackings.
Category: International Maritime Injury Claims
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