Do Cargo Ships Have Armed Guards? What Ships Actually Do (2026)

Yair AradBy Yair Arad Updated

By Yair Arad · Updated October 20, 2026

Some cargo ships do carry armed guards, but no global rule says they must or must not. Whether a ship carries them depends on the law of the country whose flag it flies, the route it sails and the owner’s own risk assessment. Armed guards are one layer of protection, and the IMO says they should not replace the other ship protection measures.

This guide explains who decides, how an armed team is set up, how weapons get on board and what ships do besides hiring guards. It is based on IMO, BIMCO and industry sources.

Check before you rely on this. Rules on armed guards differ by flag state, port state and coastal state, and they change. Some sources here are older: a 2017 report on Nigeria and an overview of floating armouries that is not dated on the page. Check current rules with the ship’s flag state and the authorities of the waters concerned.

Review status. Written from public sources. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer, a flag administration or a maritime security professional. It is not legal advice.

About the author’s background. I have not worked as an armed maritime guard. I served in the Navy from 1994 to 1997 on smaller reconnaissance ships, mostly on brown-water work close to shore, and guarding merchant ships was not part of that. What follows comes from the sources listed at the end, not from my own experience.

Quick answer

  • Do cargo ships have armed guards? Some do. The IMO leaves the decision to each flag state’s law.
  • Are guards enough? No. The IMO says armed guards should not replace protective measures such as Best Management Practices.
  • How many guards? BIMCO’s GUARDCON contract provides for teams of at least four, one of them an experienced leader. Fewer is accepted only case by case, after a proper risk analysis.
  • Which companies? BIMCO recommends security companies certified to ISO 28007.
  • Where do the weapons come from? Often from floating armouries moored outside territorial waters.
  • Not everywhere: Nigeria’s navy said in 2017 that no armed guards of any kind may be placed on merchant ships in Nigerian waters.

Who decides whether a ship carries armed guards

The IMO moved from strongly discouraging firearms on merchant ships in 1993 to tacitly accepting armed security personnel as an industry and flag state practice in some circumstances. In May 2011 its Maritime Safety Committee said it neither endorses nor condemns their use, and treated the decision as one for each flag state under its own law.

The IMO publishes separate guidance for each party. There is guidance for shipowners, operators and masters (MSC.1/Circ.1405/Rev.2), recommendations for flag states (MSC.1/Circ.1406/Rev.3), recommendations for port and coastal states on embarking and carrying armed personnel (MSC.1/Circ.1408) and interim guidance for private maritime security companies, including rules on the use of force (MSC.1/Circ.1443).

BIMCO adds that requirements vary by flag state. It advises owners to coordinate with flag state authorities, insurers and P&I Clubs, and to obtain End User Certificates for all weapons.

How an armed team is set up

  • A standard contract. BIMCO’s GUARDCON sets industry terms for hiring a private maritime security company (PMSC) and clarifies the owner’s and the company’s responsibilities.
  • Team size. At least four guards, one an experienced leader, which BIMCO says is the minimum for continuous watch during a transit.
  • A certified company. BIMCO recommends ISO 28007 certification as a baseline for operational, safety and legal practice. It is a recommendation, not a GUARDCON requirement.
  • Insurance. Owners should insist on adequate cover, including employers’ liability and cover for injury, loss or property damage.
  • Current training and licenses. BIMCO warns that expired certificates or licenses create compliance risk.

Warning signs BIMCO describes

  • Some PMSCs have offered as few as one guard, which BIMCO calls a dangerous cost-cutting trend.
  • Some armed guards in the southern Red Sea have been seen to be unable to perform their tasks, so owners should demand current training certificates.
  • Financially unstable PMSCs have failed to pay guards, in some cases leading guards to try to seize vessels.

How weapons get on board

Many port and coastal states have costly, bureaucratic rules for bringing arms ashore, so teams often collect weapons at sea. A floating armoury is a vessel that offers offshore storage of weapons, ammunition and security equipment. Dryad Global describes them operating outside territorial waters near the edge of the High Risk Area in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, and says their numbers have fallen from a peak.

The same overview names Sri Lanka and Djibouti as the only two countries known to license floating armouries. It also notes concerns: weapons reported lost in Sri Lanka in 2011, little transparency on licence terms, and few laws that address floating armouries directly. The overview is not dated, so this guide cannot say whether that is still the case. Check current information before relying on it.

What ships do besides hiring guards

The IMO stresses that armed guards should not replace protective measures such as the Best Management Practices. The current edition, BMP MS (2025), combines the earlier regional guidance into one publication and replaces BMP5, the Global BMP and BMP West Africa, according to a West P&I Club news item from April 2025. This guide has not summarized the text of BMP MS (2025). Read the publication itself for the specific ship protection measures.

Where armed guards are not the answer

Nigerian waters. A 2017 report quoted Nigeria’s navy saying no armed guards of any kind, whether contractors, police or military, may be placed on merchant vessels in Nigerian waters, and that a vessel found with armed guards would be detained. The navy backed a licensed alternative: 20 escort vessel operators with patrol vessels manned and commanded by Nigerian Navy personnel. That was the reported position in 2017. This guide has not confirmed whether it still applies, so check before relying on it.

The Red Sea. gCaptain reported in March 2026 that since November 2023 more than 100 merchant ships had been targeted, four sunk, one seized and at least eight seafarers killed. Whether guard teams are useful against that kind of threat is a question for each ship’s risk assessment, and this guide does not cover it. Conditions there change quickly, so check current advisories.

Is piracy still a reason to hire them?

The ICC International Maritime Bureau counted 38 piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first half of 2026, the lowest mid-year figure since 1992, but Somali pirates were behind 94% of the crew taken hostage. See our guide Are There Still Pirates in 2026?.

Frequently asked questions

Do all cargo ships have armed guards? No. Each flag state decides under its own law, and owners decide route by route after a risk assessment.

Are armed guards on ships legal? It depends on the flag state, and the port and coastal states the ship passes through can set their own rules. The IMO neither endorses nor condemns them.

How many armed guards are on a ship? BIMCO’s GUARDCON provides for at least four, one an experienced leader. Smaller teams are accepted only case by case after a risk analysis.

Do armed guards replace other protection? No. The IMO says they should not replace measures such as the Best Management Practices.

How do guards get their weapons on board? Often from a floating armoury outside territorial waters, because many ports restrict bringing weapons ashore.

Can I work as an armed guard on a ship? This guide does not cover hiring or qualifications. See our maritime security jobs guides for the career side, and check the law of the flag state and your employer’s requirements.

Sources

Reviewed October 20, 2026. Rules, risk levels and security-company standards change; check the ship’s flag state and current guidance.

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