According to a Nov. 19 report from The Independent World, the American security company Blackwater is planning to launch a flotilla of gunboats for hire by the shipping companies.
The firm, which received international attention when its staff killed civilians in Iraq, has already equipped one vessel, called The McArthur, which will carry up to 40 armed guards and have a landing pad for an attack helicopter.
The McArthur, a former survey ship, arrives in the Gulf of Aden, the scene of the recent high-profile hijackings and shootouts with Somali pirates, at the end of the year. It is to be joined by three or four similar vessels over next year to form the company's private navy.
(Source: The Independent World)