Violent non-state actors at sea

Violent non-state actors at sea includes all violent non-state actors that engage in naval, amphibious or littoral violence or warfare.

These include:

• Actual navies, such as the Sea Tigers, one of the most successful non-state navies in the 20th century;^[1][2]
• Other actors, such as pirates that play a navy-like role in place of a failed state,^[3]; and
• Non-malicious actors such as Neptune's Navy. This 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 have labeled them terrorists.^[4] And pirates off the coast of Somalia claim to be "freedom fighters", defending Somali waters from pollution and foreign access.^[3]