Violent non-state actors at sea

Some authors in Maritime Security point to the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 as a pivotal moment of maritime terrorism. This bombing preceded the 9/11-attacks as an example of a direct and obviously malicious attack against a state by a non-state actor.[1][5] The bombings also became crucial for private security companies: in the wake of the attack, Blackwater (now Academi) signed its first contract with US military.[6] Terrorist non-state actors at sea have also been linked with pirates. NATO concluded in 2010 that terrorism could be linked with piracy and illegal fishing.[7] This has been criticized however, by other authors, who believe a relation between pirates and terrorists bring no mutual benefits.[1]

Actors such as Academi have been, or are in possession of vessels such as the NOAAS McArthur, but most provide services that deliver armed personnel on board cargo ships.[8] Some authors argue that because private security companies are composed largely of retired military personnel from industrialized/western countries, and because they also collaborate with the same countries, they are perceived as merely an extension tool for liberal governments to get involved in conflicts, or at the very least, they function on a basis of borrowed legitimacy from their partnered countries.[8][9] This might imply that while they are technically non-state actors, they benefit from being perceived as directly related to a state.