Somali Pirates - I don't get it.

[68Wooley]

So, I just read the Royal Navy shot and killed a couple of suspected Somali Pirates in their dhow. WTG fellas.

However, there's something I don't get about all these ship hijackings. If I'm the captain of a multi-thousand ton vessel and I'm confronted by a couple of malnourished twits waving AK's in a barely afloat 30 year old Zodiac who want me stop, I've gotta say, my response is likely to be to give them the bird, retreat indoors and continue on my merry way. I just can't see how they board a moving ship and I can't really see why an AK is going to be much of a threat without the crew putting themselves out in the open.

Am I missing something about their MO?

[Noir]

rocket launchers

[Fulmar]

rocket launchers

[eagl]

Funny thing, the most effective defensive weapon so far has been firefighting equipment   I guess a well-aimed hose has about the same range and better accuracy than an RPG fired from a dinghy.

Personally, I figure they should put 3-man Seal teams on a random selection of cargo vessels, armed with a .50 and some portable anti-armor (TOW equivalent) weapons.  Invite the pirates in a bit, pop open a hatch and kablooi.

And the best part - don't publicize any of it, especially if they actually blow up some pirates.  Pirates simply disappearing without a trace will be a pretty good deterrent.  And any captain on any boat in international waters has the authority to execute pirates, so it's even more legal than shooting an armed intruder in your own house (which you can't do in many countries, but those countries recognize the ultimate authority of a captain on the high seas).

[Curval]

Not sure I agree that you shouldn't publicise it, frankly I think youtube should have a special section dedicated to pirates being dealt with as you describe.

[Ack-Ack]

These guys aren't real pirates...I don't see a parrot on any of their shoulders or an eye patch.


ack-ack

[Delirium]

Merchant Marines are the way to go... start putting some .50 cal (stowed in lockers but mounts in place on bow and stern) on even cruise ships with a few men that are qualified to operate them.

[1pLUs44]

OR... they could teach the crew how to shoot, put a cheap-o gun (or personalized) on their. Maybe like a personal rifle or AK or something, and say to them "good luck"

I'd run over someone if they were in a dinghy that small.

[edog1977]

Run over the dinghy?  That's like a Lanc trying to out turn an A6M.

[1pLUs44]

Wouldn't be hard to swamp it. And if they shoot an RPG at you, they'll do it themselves.

[Curlew]

Well a container ship isnt allowed to carry much in the way of weapons, think the rulling is the captain can have a shotgun and a pistol, and the pirates get up on grappling hooks.

[Ack-Ack]

Merchant Marines are the way to go... start putting some .50 cal (stowed in lockers but mounts in place on bow and stern) on even cruise ships with a few men that are qualified to operate them.

One cruise line company that operates in the area uses a 'sonic' defense system on all of its cruise ships in that region.  A couple of years ago pirates tried to board one of their ships and the ship's crew used the sonic defense system.  They were able to stop the pirates from boarding and then used the cruise ships speed to out run the pirate boats. 


ack-ack

[Sailor]

I keep track of the piracy situation in the Gulf of Aden since I'm a cadet at Cal Maritime.  As per the geneva convention merchant ships can't be armed.  This is so that they can claim protection as a non combantant.  As Curlew mentioned the captain can keep a shotgun and pistol, mainly for signaling purposes.  The most effective weapons most ships have to deter borders are fire hoses and fire axes.  As was previously mentioned a cruise company had sonic defenses and other non lethal defenses but those are expensive and companies are profit driven.  That doesn't do you much good against AK47's and RPG's.  A ship can't out maneuver a small maneuverable open skiff that the pirates use, and they have grappling hooks to climb on board with.  The only thing a merchant ship can really do to keep them off is hope that a naval vessel is near by.

The piracy in the Gulf of Aden has gotten so bad that now sailors transiting the area earn the equivalent of war zone pay bonuses.  The Brits have finally gotten it right and allowed their ships to engage suspected pirates before they take action.  Up until this point a naval vessel could not fire upon pirates unless they observed an act of piracy or were fired upon first.  

They can't arrest pirates because they're afraid that when they get back to the states or the UK they will claim political asylum.  It's really a tricky situation to which the only real solution is to get Somalia back on its feet.  Since the Gulf of Aden fisheries have been fished out the only way for the somali ex fishermen to make a living is through piracy.  Fishing villages have now become pirate hang outs.  Take a look at all the pictures of pirate skiffs and the motherships and they're all old fishing boats.

[Rich46yo]

They can't arrest pirates because they're afraid that when they get back to the states or the UK they will claim political asylum.  It's really a tricky situation to which the only real solution is to get Somalia back on its feet.

They have never once been "on their feet" so how can you " get them back on their feet"? This solution of yours is right out of the UN press releases if you ask me. Let me tell you something about criminals. They dont become honest citizens when the local paper starts advertising job openings.

The only solution is to start arming the freighter crews. But the fact that they cant be is typical of any dribble coming out of the UN. We can call this Somali thing the INTL equivalent of big city gun control.

[MiloMorai]

Somali pirates are minor irritants compared to the piracy that occurs in the area of south east Asia.



The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports worldwide pirate attacks fell for the third year in a row in 2006. Attacks on ships at sea in 2006 fell to 239 vessels, down from 276 in 2005. That same trend echoed in the Strait of Malacca where attacks dropped from 79 in 2005 to 50 in 2006. Nonetheless, in 2004, the region accounted for 40% of piracy worldwide. The IMB reported in October 2007 that Indonesia continued to be the world's most pirate-struck region with 37 attacks since January 2007, though an improvement from the same nine month period of 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy_in_the_Strait_of_Malacca