Piracy - armed guards revisited and general overview
Friday 20 January, 2012
The recent announcement by the UK Government that weapons will be allowed on UK-flagged vessels is not perhaps as revolutionary as it might first appear. Under the relevant firearms legislation, shot guns and single shot rifles were already permitted, subject to the appropriate certification having been obtained. Rather, the new government guidelines and the headlines they have generated have been about the use of previously prohibited weapons (such as fully automatic “assault” rifles) and equipment. Notwithstanding this change of stance from the discouragement of the deployment of armed guards on ships to a position where accepted, their deployment is subject always to the regime laid down in the Firearms Act 1968. The debate has been given a further boost by the findings of the UK Foreign Affairs Committee (“FAC”), which issued a far-reaching report on 5 January 2012, concluding that the UK Government was right to change its position, but that more guidance was now needed on the lethal use of force and self-defence.
Following the recent publication of the interim guidelines by the Home Office (“HO”), we explore the position (under English law) in respect of the deployment of armed guards.
To read more, please click here.
If you wish to discuss any of the matters raised in this article, or piracy issues generally, please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Askins.
Date: Wednesday 29 - Thursday 01 March, 2012
Location: Hilton London Tower Bridge Hotel
Ince & Co partner Carol Searle and consultant Tony George are speaking at the Insuring Export Credit & Political Risk conference.
Date: Wednesday 29 - Thursday 01 March, 2012
Location: Prospero House
Ince & Co partner Daniel Jones will be speaking during the spotlight session on “The Yacht Refit – Insurance Issues”. The session will examine what happens when the yacht goes into refit, the new standard form contract, insurance obligations, common terms, ship repairs legal liability insurance and the waiver of subrogation requirements.
Date: Tuesday 06 - Wednesday 07 March, 2012
Location: London
Ince & Co Partner Stephen Askins will be speaking at the Chemical and Product Tankers conference on Piracy.
Date: Wednesday 25 - Thursday 26 April, 2012
Location: Marriott Hotel, Copenhagen
Ince & Co partners Michael Stockwood, Kevin Cooper, Stephen Marais and Vincent Xu are hosting a one day pre-conference workshop on “Key strategies to achieving a consensual agreement maximising the benefits for both banks and owners”. The workshop will explore three key themes; restructuring shipping loans, enforcement, and issues relating to Chinese finance and involvement with Chinese shipyards.
Date: Wednesday 25 April, 2012
Location: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York, USA
Ince & Co consultant, Tim Scorer will be chairing the AViCON conference. AViCON is a
bi-annual conference on aviation industry accident investigation, and conflict and claim resolution. Delegates will have the opportunity to listen to discussions led by legal and insurance experts to explore considerations and complexities of the case from accident investigation to legal discovery, multi-party litigation, and resolution. Delegates will gain a fuller understanding of the entire range of complexities involved in aviation safety.