Military Services and Private Businesses

[Alatriste]

Spanish fishermen (actually Spanish owners of fishing businesses) are demanding our army to get some soldiers aboard each and every one of their ships in the Indian Ocean. The answer has been, the law forbids using military forces as security guards for private businesses, be it warehouses, factories, ships... and much less outside Spain. The army is willing to train and support private security guards for them, but is not going to disperse soldiers by twos and threes in fishing boats for months, not even if the law was changed.

For the record, I agree. Their demand is ludicrous. If they want security personnel aboard they can contract private security but deploying a few infantrymen in each small ship would be both scarcely useful and an awful precedent. What would be next, supermarkets demanding AFVs to carry money to the bank? Newlyweds demanding a couple of marines to escort them during their honeymoon in Bali? Millionaires demanding military bodyguards?

Still, I'm interested in knowing if this problem has arisen in other countries too and what do their laws state. With the recent surge of piracy in the Indian, the question of protecting or escorting ships is probably doomed to become a hot issue...

[HisMajestyBOB]

Since overfishing is a problem thanks to generous subsidies to the fishing industry, I say let the pirates weed out a few of the fishermen.

[Martinus]

Agreed. The demand is ridiculous. They are essentially demanding a government handout for a failing business. It's almost as bad as bailing out the banks.

[Admiral Yi]

All the other examples you mentioned take place where some police force, either Spanish or Indonesian, is supposed to have jurisdiction.  On the high seas there is none.

[Neil]

Heaven forbid that the pirates interfere with ongoing Spanish biocide.

[Maximus]

I was going to say, the world could stand a thinning out of Spanish fishermen.

[Ed Anger]

Heaven forbid that the pirates interfere with ongoing Spanish biocide.

I loved the Turbot War. But there wasn't enough gunplay. 

[Viking]

It is reasonable in the sense that all nations are at war with pirates.

It is unreasonable in the sense that the overfishing done by these fishermen is what drove the local somali fishermen into piracy.

[KRonn]

I saw on the news this week that some Spanish fishermen were taken hostage, so I guess this request comes in response to that? I agree that it's probably not a good idea to deploy soldiers aboard fishing boats. Although after one or two pirate attacks met with well armed soldiers were turned away, pirates might decide to leave Spanish boats alone. However, navies of all nations are deployed in the area to guard against piracy, and probably the best course is for more ships and/or aggressive posture towards piracy. And maybe, at some point, an attack on pirate areas/hideouts.

[DontSayBanana]

This kind of begs the question: why are they demanding military personnel and not private security personnel?  Is it for the heavier firepower or because they're just trying to get the soldiers cheaper?

[Admiral Yi]

This kind of begs the question: why are they demanding military personnel and not private security personnel?  Is it for the heavier firepower or because they're just trying to get the soldiers cheaper?

Or perhaps because they believe the state bears some responsibillity for protecting them from high seas piracy.

[alfred russel]

Is it possible there are rules against arming civilians on the boats?

[MadImmortalMan]

Is it possible there are rules against arming civilians on the boats?

If so, then they are justified in asking for the state to defend them.

[Ed Anger]

Xe is available for all missions.

[DontSayBanana]

Is it possible there are rules against arming civilians on the boats?

That's actually what I was wondering: whether Spain's maritime laws permit arming civilians on boats.