The risk of arms pilferage in commercial ships with armed personnel poses a security risk, an official of Indian Coast Guard said here Thursday.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has allowed commercial ships to carry arms for their safety while sailing through pirate infested waters.
The issue is that the Indian authorities are not aware as to the kind of arms the ships carry while travelling along the Indian coastline, said Inspector General Satya Prakash Sharma, regional commander, Coast Guard (East).
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference on 'Approach to Integrated Maritime Systems' organised by Confederation of Indian Industry here.
Commercial ships need not declare the kind of weapons they have on board if they do not call on any Indian port.
His comments come in the wake of two incidents involving two foreign ships. Armed personnel on board of Italian vessel Enrica Lexie shot dead two Indian fishermen near Kerala coast.
The US vessel MV Seaman Guard Ohio and the men on board have been detained by Indian authorities for carrying illegal arms in Indian waters.