Prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the move would put domestic owners on an equal footing with European competitors who already have armed personnel on board, including the UK and Germany.
"We will allow recourse to private teams capable of complementing the navy's missions," he told the Ouest France regional newspaper. "There has been a strong appeal from shipowners and we have heard it."
Ayrault also said that France needed to be able to import petrol with French-owned tanker fleets in order to ensure the security of its energy supplies.
"The challenge today is to require oil importers into France to do so at least partially under the French flag," Ayrault added.
