Eyes Wide Open.

PRETTY SOON, PIRACY PROBLEMS COULD FORCE SHIP OWNERS TO ADD A new crew member--the armed guard--for their vessels that call in Latin American ports.

Until that happens though, the Guayaquil Port Authority is making its own moves. The authority's general manager is now placing its own armed guards on board all arriving ships as they reach the Data-Pilot Station. This, the authority hopes, will help calm down shipping lines after attackers fired off a few shots during a July 3 robbery in the port. Ships at the port continue to be attacked.

The Ecuadoran navy might also get into the act, but it's not certain yet what role any navy officials will play.

Armed cargo escorts are becoming the norm throughout the region. In Guatemala, however, it's more of an inland problem, so carriers set up armed convoys to bring the cargo down to the port from the cities.

In Brazil, the cost of an armed escort can double the expense of moving a box of goods from the main port of Santos up the Serra do Mar mountain to Sao Paulo.

Dust off those resumes. With the increasing number of armed attacks on ships and trucks--and the likelihood of more gunplay--carriers calling in Latin America are starting to look for former U.S. Navy Seals or Army Rangers to round out their transportation teams.