Publication

This report examines the operation and use of armories on vessels based in international waters, which are increasingly used by private security companies to store and transfer weapons for use in maritime security. The authors find that there is a serious lack of regulation and oversight in the operation and use of these ‘floating armories’ and that in some cases vessels are subject only to the regulations of the state in which they are registered. They then argue that coordinated international action is required to address this problem and call on individual governments and relevant multi-lateral bodies to take action to do so.