Description: Trainees will analyze the rise of armed guards employment as one of the elements used to counter piracy.

Specific Objectives: Students shall analyze the process that led to the employment of armed guards on board merchant vessels by:

1. Describing the development of the VPD and PCASP concepts as a counter-piracy tool.
2. Explaining caveats derived from the national legislations.
3. Analyzing the effect of the employment of armed guards.
4. Describing the current and possible trends of the armed guards’ phenomenon.

The duration of the module is 1 training hour.