66 Companies Contact Blackwater as US Navy Says Private Sector Must Fight Pirates

At least 66 shipping and merchant companies have contacted Blackwater for help in protecting vessels from Islamist pirates off the coast of Somalia.

The US Navy says it's overburdened, and that private companies must ensure their own security. "The coalition does not have enough resources to provide 24-hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region," says the US Fifth Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney. "The shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews."

Blackwater spokesman Anne Tyrell says that the company will offer seaborne and helicopter escort services but will not place private security guards aboard the tankers, freighters, and other ships. The firm's 180-foot helicopter carrier, McArthur (pictured), is reported to be in the area.

"Shipowners are irked by the suggestion they should be protecting themselves," the Toronto Globe and Mail reports. '[What] we are talking about is the fundamental obligation of nations to provide safe passage for world trade,' said Peter Hinchliffe, marine director for the London-based International Chamber of Shipping."

US Navy Encourages Private Security Companies to Protect Ships from Piracy

The United States Navy has praised the rise of private security companies to protect private shipping from pirates as a "great trend."

Media commentators have been generally skeptical of Blackwater's dispatch of its 183-foot ship, the McArthur, to the Gulf of Aden to provide security for private ships that the United Nations and the world's navies are leaving vulnerable to Islamist criminal gangs.

However, a US Navy spokesman has praised the move and encourages more private security companies to follow Blackwater's example. British security companies are already active in protecting ships, but Blackwater plans to provide McArthur, which can carry two special operations helicopters complete with doorgunners, to escort civilian ships that the UN and government navies can't or won't protect.

"This is a great trend," a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet tells the Associated Press. "We would encourage shipping companies to take proactive measures to help ensure their own safety."

Insurance companies also like the idea. "Pirate attacks have driven up insurance premiums tenfold for ships plying the Gulf of Aden, increasing the cost of cargos that include a fifth of the world's oil. But some insurers will slash charges by up to 40 percent if boats hire their own security," according to AP.

A senior official of Somalia, off whose coast much of the piracy is taking place, says private security companies are welcome in Somali waters. Somalia's 1,800-mile coastline is difficult to avoid for ships traversing the Suez Canal.

Controversy not stopping Blackwater's expansion

"Blackwater USA . . . isn't letting a little controversy get them down. No, they're focused on expansion, and the latest addition is a ship that can be used for everything from anti-terrorism to special operations missions," Sharon Weinberger writes in "Danger Room," a national security blog for Wired magazine.

"Lost amid the latest brouhaha, was a small report that Blackwater had bought and refurbished the McArthur, a 183-ft. ship that boasts 'state of the art navigation systems, full GMDDSS communications, SEATEL Broadband, dedicated command and control bas, helicopter decks, hospital and multiple support vessel capabilities.'"

(Pictured: The McArthur as a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ship, prior to being decommissioned, sold to Blackwater and refurbished.)

New ship unveiled for training & disaster response

This week in Norfolk, Virginia, Blackwater USA formally presented its newly converted maritime training and disaster response ship, the McArthur.

The 153-foot vessel, built 40 years ago for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is refurbished and fully equipped with high-tech gear. The McArthur comes complete with a helipad. The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk carries the story.

(Photo: The McArthur as a NOAA ship, prior to sale to Blackwater)