Source: FIS
The Ministry of Defense offered shipowners of tuna fishing vessels the possibility of training private security personnel for hire and facilitating their transfer to the Indian Ocean. However, it insisted on its refusal to allow military personnel to travel onboard fishing boats that operate near Somalia.
Representatives of the Ministry and the National Association of Freezer Tuna Vessel Owners (ANABAC) and the Big Frozen Tuna Vessels Producers Association (OPAGAC) met in Madrid last week, to evaluate applicable measures for the Spanish fleet that operates in the Indian Ocean.
During the meeting, they also discussed aid that the Central and Basque government is going to issue to support them, the Ministry of Defense indicated in an official notice.
The Ministry of Defense affirmed that they will study the possibility that private guards carry complementary weaponry, besides the long-range firearms authorized by the Spanish government.
They are also committed to facilitating the transfer and funding of arms and personnel, since the wages of one of these guards surpasses EUR 300 a day.