Soldiers on board Italian merchant ships
(BRUSSELS2) The Italian government has dithered a lot: on the right method to protect its merchant fleet. The pressure from the shipowners, the various attacks, lastly, that on the Montechristo accelerated the decision. The Italian Ministry of Defense therefore signed, on Tuesday (11 October), a memorandum of understanding with the Confederation of Shipowners allowing the embarkation of military teams on board certain merchant ships.
Payment of costs by shipowners
According to this protocol, a dozen teams of Marines - each made up of six men - will be ready to embark on merchant ships flying the Italian flag which pass through risk areas. Shipowners - represented by their confederation Confitarma - pledging to reimburse the costs associated with the use of these military teams, " including personnel, operating and logistical support costs in the area”. A sine qua none condition for the use of the military, the Italian defense now scraping the bottom of the drawer...
Italy is thus the second European state - after France - to use embarked soldiers to protect some of these ships. The debate is raging in several other countries, notably in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, where the solution of private guards seems rather preferred. The Italian government had also authorized the boarding of private guards last July. But according to our colleagues on the peninsula, this provision is not yet really in force; a few implementing decrees would still be missing.
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