Netherlands won't put military guards on ships

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2009 Jul 02

The Dutch parliament has agreed to a decision by the country's defence minister not to put armed soldiers on Dutch ships travelling through the high-risk piracy zone off the Somali coast.

Eimert van Middelkoop was willing, he said, to ask the commander of the EU's anti-piracy mission to allow a Dutch frigate to escort especially vulnerable ships, those with a low freeboard and whose speed was less than 10 knots.

This would apply to "six to eight ships" per year. Van Middelkoop opposes the placement of military personnel on civilian ships due to the uncertain legal implications, the costs and the risk of escalating violence from pirates.

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