Violent non-state actors at sea denominates all

violent non-state actor In international relations, violent non-state actors (VNSAs), also known as non-state armed actors or non-state armed groups (NSAGs), are individuals or groups that are wholly or partly independent of governments and which threaten or use viole ...

s that engage in

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

violence or

warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

Violent non-state actors at sea may be veritable

navies A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

, such as the

Sea Tigers The Sea Tigers (Tamil: கடற்புலிகள் ''Kaţaṛpulikaḷ'') was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effectiv ...

, one of the most successful non-state navies in the 20th century, but it may also be other actors, such as

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

that take a navy-like role in the place of a

failed state A failed state is a political body that has disintegrated to a point where basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government no longer function properly (see also fragile state and state collapse). A state can also fail if the go ...

, or non-malicious actors such as

Neptune's Navy Neptune's Navy is the name that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society uses to refer to the ships it operates. Most of these vessels are used to disrupt or hinder fishing, whaling or sealing operations that the group considers illegal. Fleet ...

. The latter is an example of a non-armed, violent non-state actor at sea, as they nevertheless have engaged in violence. Both Neptune's Navy and pirates are also examples of non-state actors whose role is a matter of perspective. Neptune's Navy believe themselves to be environmentalist, while the ICRW and the Japanese government has labeled them terrorists. Similarly, pirates off the coast of Somalia claim to be "freedom fighters" defending Somali waters from pollution and foreign access.

Terrorist non-state actors at sea

Some authors in

Maritime Security Maritime security is an umbrella term informed to classify issues in the Maritime transport, maritime domain that are often related to national security, marine environment, economic development, and human security. This includes the world's ocean ...

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. The bombings also became crucial for

private security companies A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors. Overview Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta ...

: in the wake of the attack, Blackwater (now Academi) signed its first contract with US military. 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 Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

. This has been criticized however, by other authors, who believe a relation between pirates and terrorists bring no mutual benefits.

Private military companies at sea

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. 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. This might imply that while they are technically non-state actors, they benefit from being perceived as directly related to a state.

References

{{reflist International relations terminology International security Irregular military