Bimco has unveiled its much awaited GUARDCON standard contract for the employment of security guards on vessels.
“In the absence of a standard contract, shipowners and their P&I Clubs are faced with the difficult and time-consuming task of assessing large numbers of contracts from these security companies,” he said.
Bimco said that while it would not like to see the use of armed security guards on ships becoming “institutionalized”, it recognised that while the industry awaits a more permanent long term solution, “armed guards provide an effective deterrent to piracy attacks.”
The contract is said to have been developed to provide ship owners and private maritime security companies (PMSC) with a “clearly worded and comprehensive standard contract to govern the employment and use of security guards, with or without firearms, on board merchant vessels.”
“The objective is to create a contractual benchmark for the employment of security services so that minimum levels of insurance cover for PMSCs are established and that adequate safeguards are put in place to ensure that liabilities and responsibilities are properly addressed and that all necessary permits and licenses are obtained,” Bimco said.
The contract has been put together in just a little over three months by a group of experts drawn from ship owners, underwriters, P&I Clubs and lawyers.
The drafting team was chaired by Wilh Wilhelmsen group security officer Tor Langrud and comprised Daniel Carr of Stolt-Nielsen, the West of England’s Chris South, Ascot Underwriters’ Andrew Moulton, Stephen Askins of Ince & Co and Elinor Dautlich of Holman Fenwick Willan.
Bimco has also published ‘Guidance on the Rules for the Use of Force’ (RUF) to accompany the new contract to help owners and PMSCs when drawing up and agreeing RUFs for their own purposes.
To see samples of the Guardcon and Guidance on the Rules for the Use of Force click on the items in the related media column
