Anti-piracy company backs guards' retreat

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A British company that hires out anti-piracy guards says it supports the decision of three of its guards to flee a ship being hijacked off the Somali coast.

AntiPiracy Maritime Security Solutions head Nick Davis said the three guards, two British and one Irish, resisted a pirate attack on a tanker as best they could before jumping into the sea to avoid capture, which likely would have resulted in their deaths, The Times of London said Saturday.

"They were unarmed. They had no other option. As far as I'm concerned they deserve a medal," the former British Army pilot said of Friday's maritime incident.

The ship attacked was the Liberian-flagged tanker, Biscaglia, whose crew of 25 Indian nationals and two Bangladesh crew members are being held hostage by the pirates.

Davis told The Times while his anti-piracy guards were not carrying firearms due to customs regulations, they bravely attempted to protect the crew members before taking to the sea.

"They did what they felt they had to do to save their lives and the lives of the crew," the company head said.