Leaked footage of private security guards firing at pirates will be shown tonight on the program Deadline by public broadcaster DR.

In the program the guards – who work for the same company employed by Maersk Line Limited – are criticised for their reckless use of force with one source in the private security business calling them "trigger-happy cowboys".

The International Association of Maritime Security also states that it is “highly doubtful” that the guards from the American security firm Trident Group used an appropriate level of power.

Criticism stems from the fact that no warning shots were fired and that the guards continued to fire well after the pirates were no longer a threat.

Deadline reveals that Maersk Line Limited, the American arm of Danish shipping company Maersk, also used guards from the Trident Group though it neither confirmed nor denied whether it sill used guards from the private security company.

The Danish branch of Maersk still does not use guards onboard its ships, however, unlike a range of other Danish shipping companies that have opted for the extra security measures.

Watch the footage on Deadline, tonight on DR2 at 22:30