Belgian commandos on board the ships = 115 euros

(B2) The Belgian government, meeting on Thursday, decided to offer ships flying the Belgian flag the provision of a team of soldiers on board to protect them from pirate attacks. Attacks which have increased sharply in recent days in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (a Belgian ship was kidnapped on April 18). This request may be executed under two conditions: 1° the shipowner must have requested the protection of the European force, EUNAVFOR Atalanta, and this is not available (a Belgian frigate
will participate in Atalanta in September); 2° the shipowner must accept the legal and financial conditions laid down by the Belgian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense (see below). This offer will be subject to a test period, between May and June, before - possibly being extended.

This provision will not be free.. The shipowner will have to cover the costs of the team of eight soldiers who will be on board (115 euros according to estimates for a mission of around one week). In addition, he will have to sign a commitment "waiver of any prosecution against the Belgian State in the event of damage caused to the boat, the cargo or the crew".

A solution to generalize? We know, in fact, that the question of the responsibility and the cost of the soldiers are the two main problems which arise and which have, until now, delayed the generalization of the embarkation of soldiers on board merchant ships. The triple solution put in place by Belgium - precondition of non-availability of forces on the spot, assumption of costs, and release from liability - is, after all, logical and could be generalized to all ships and boats. Europeans. Making the shipowners pay - even if it is a solution that could appear shocking - may appear justified in view of the means that the public authorities put in place to protect them.

The question of the pavilion to consider. It would be tricky to choose to protect only ships under the national flag. But we could add a nuance, in my opinion, a sort of differentiated "tariff" for the contribution, depending on whether the ship is under the national (European) flag or not. It is, in fact, not logical that a shipowner who has chosen a national flag (therefore already assumes certain additional costs) does not pay the same "contribution" as one who has chosen an exotic, national or complacency, precisely to avoid certain costs and certain obligations.