Aegis to help combat piracy off Somali coast

Oceanic action: suspected pirates arrested by French navy commandos in the Gulf of Aden

Tim Spicer, the founder and chief executive of Aegis Defence Services, the private security company whose main market is in Iraq, is preparing to do battle on the high seas by tackling piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The company is in talks with several states in the region, including the Yemeni and Djibouti governments, about setting up a command and control centre that would monitor the threat of piracy and act as an information exchange centre for vessels in the area. Somali pirates have stepped up attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent weeks, forcing the issue on to the agenda of Western governments.