UK ships will be able to carry armed guards: Cameron

British merchant ships sailing off the coast of Somalia will soon be able to carry armed guards to ward off pirate attacks, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday. Britain is one of only a few countries with major shipping fleets to currently ban armed guards on its vessels, alongside countries such as Japan, Greece and the Netherlands.
However, owners of ships from other countries are increasingly putting guards onboard as national navies struggle to combat Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, a problem which is costing the world economy billions of dollars a year. In an interview with the BBC, Cameron said that Britain now planned to license guards to carry firearms on ships.