The foreign affairs select committee has produced a report saying that although British ships have been allowed to carry armed guards on board to protect against pirates since last October, the government must provide more guidance on how force can be used against pirates.

Peter Hinchcliffe, secretary general of the international chamber of shipping, warns that armed guards will "not stop piracy". Whatever is done in terms of defending the ships, he explains, will not remove the problem.

What is needed, he says, is a "robust" international effort to take the fight to the pirates and prevent them deploying from the Somali coast.

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