Despite the significant reduction in piracy attacks over the last few years, it is clear that the safety of the High Seas cannot always be guaranteed by Governments, said private maritime security firm MAST.
Speaking at a port security conference in London, MAST senior contingency response negotiator Peter Astbury said that although the Indian Ocean was relatively quiet at present, the overall political direction of Somalia was far from settled.
"Things could change very quickly and with very little notice. The prevalence of piracy, cargo theft and crew kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea is well reported and it seems to be re-emerging east of Malacca," he said.
Mr Astbury also noted that in the Mediterranean, few people realised the scale of the people displacement caused by the civil war in Syria and its spill over into the wider region.
The numbers of people affected ran into the millions and were adding significantly to the numbers of migrants entering Europe by boat from Libya – itself in the throes of a chaotic and violent aftermath of the demise of the Gaddafi regime.
"More than 190,000 people have been trafficked this year alone through Libya into mainly Italy and Malta," Mr Astbury added.
"With the cost of a passage estimated at up to US$1,000 per person, this implies a flow of funds into criminal networks of almost US$200 million over the same period. Experience in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere has indicated a close connection between people trafficking, piracy and the trafficking of guns and drugs."
Mr Astbury said port authorities have a critical role to play in helping responsible ship owners protect their crews and support wider initiatives to curtail illegal gun trafficking.
Further, the use of armed guards on ships in exceptional circumstances is likely to ebb and flow but will not disappear.
