Speaking at the sidelines of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII's) conference on "Approach to Integrated Maritime Systems" at Chennai today Inspector General Satya Prakash Sharma, Regional Commander, Coast Guard (East) said that one of the major threat in the recent times has been that the large number of commercial ships that have armed men on board for security of these vessels.
He said that as they don't declare the weaponry that they have on board, there is no check on them, when they move towards the country's coastal line. These men carry arms for their safety while cruising through waters infested with sea pirates.
There are chances to pilferage and that can pose a serious threat to the national security, he said, urging the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which encouraged commercial ships to have armed men on board to tackle the menace of piracy, to look at country specific or region norms/rules.
He referred to the incidents involving two foreign ships -- one Italian vessel Enrica Lexie and another US vessel Seaman Guard Ohio -- which were arrested by the Indian Coast Guards for carrying weapons in the ships.
