Sustaining Human Security at Sea: The Role of Private Military Security Companies and Naval Assets

International shipping is one of the main industries in sustaining economies worldwide. There are more than 50.000 merchant ships with over 200 hundred million containers go through seas. This creates uncertainties at sea such as piracy, crime, and terrorism which demand proper management and regulations at the governmental and national level. Along the increasing number of threats at sea, there are new ways of regulating piracy as private maritime security companies, the importance of which is targeted to reduce the expansion of pirates' zones and reduction of existed threats. This paper, thus, provides clear analytical definitions of human security, maritime security, private security companies, and naval assets. Therefore, it focuses on how private maritime security companies and naval assets counter-piracy issues by striking a balanced act on human security (pirates, crews and civil citizens or fishermen who live at coastal or sea area) and protection of maritime resources or commercial commodities? And how to measure risks and the advantages of using naval assets or private maritime security companies while abiding governing laws?