Terrorism and drones are top concerns for maritime security companies, UN officials say

United Nations officials say terrorism and the use of new technologies like weaponized drones against merchant shipping have superseded piracy as the top concerns for maritime security, and it’s up to private companies to employ specific countermeasures to neutralize such threats. Members of the U.N. working group on the use of mercenaries, say maritime security companies hired to protect merchant ships sailing through high-risk areas are ultimately responsible for figuring out which procedures and defensive armaments are required to repel any terrorism or piracy-related threat. The officials were in Cyprus for a nine-day visit focusing on the use of private maritime security companies on Cyprus-flagged ships operating in high-risk sea lanes.