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If all that fails, we’ll have to resort to the ultimate weapon – gulp – shudder – the strongly worded letter from the UN.

shaken on April 15, 2009 at 9:52 AM

Neanderthal!!

Step two, assuming you have dismissed the never-achievable social injustice nonsense, is to decide if the economics are tolerable or not: does marine insurance and liability insurance add intolerable surcharges to the goods shipped through the vulnerable sea lanes.

Step three, assuming you don’t like paying a piracy tax, as well as a fat-cat bailout tax, then you want some action taken.

What action then? The problem is the risk/reward ratio for pirates is out of whack. Too much reward, too little risk. The risk must be increased. How? In every legal way.

I like the idea of honey pot targets – cargo ships bristling with weapons and “crew” specially trained. Surprise!

If all that fails, we’ll have to resort to the ultimate weapon – gulp – shudder – the strongly worded letter from the UN.

Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 9:11 AM

I disagree. They could also use mines. The first IEDs in Iraq were not very sophisticated, but they got better. The point being that the owners of the cargo would rather not escalate things and loose the entire cargo. They could arm the ship, but they have not for the reasons I stated; mutiny and retaliation.

As the BBC put it “Somali piracy has been transformed from something very basic into something far more sophisticated in recent years.

The pirates have graduated from being simple fishermen with rickety boats and maybe a couple of rusty guns into high-tech operators armed with modern weapons travelling in expensive speedboats.

They have been able to do this because they have earned so much money from ransom payments.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7995170.stm

How expensive is an IED anyway?

We need to get all Thomas Jefferson on these pirates.

{^_^}

FORCEFULLY.
With bullets.
with as much cruelty as you can muster.
severly.
in the view of the wold media to prevent further attacks.

Yes add Q-Ships to my “Back to the Future” plan!

Okay how bout this.

Back to the Future

Have Merchant ships deploy “UAV like” blimps tethered to the merchant ships.

The blimps could have sensor packages like RADAR, FLIR Cameras, GPS and communication ability.

These blimps could give the crews a heads up on any boat approaching them, day or night 24/7

AND

The RADAR info could all be sent and monitored at some location(s) giving the Navy a HUGE, real time “picture” of the entire area.

Start with that and add “less lethal” systems like LRAD to by time for the Navy to respond.

And as a last resort arm the crews.

get to shit shoot

OK. I am mystified as to how I made that spelling mistake!

cmshumard on April 13, 2009 at 9:41 AM

We never learn from history, do we?
Thomas Jefferson I think would be a little PO’d right now to see we’re back into this mess again.
But now things are different-we have nukes.
I wish we would use them on somebody deserving. It’s like having a gun you never get to shit.
Gathering dust in the closet.

Johan Klaus on April 14, 2009 at 10:18 AM

Apparently both stoned and stupid.

JohnGalt23 on April 14, 2009 at 1:24 AM

The left always resorts to name calling when their arguments fail.

Yep, Obambi’s a hero!

Owners also do not like shooting because pirates could escalate to torpedos.

percysunshine on April 14, 2009 at 7:35 AM

What, you think they’ll buy a submarine?

We’re talking about a bunch of semiliterate apes with a bare minimum of ANY useful skills. I could probably outshoot them with a deer rifle, even as little as I practice about firearms!

rocketman on April 14, 2009 at 12:03 AM

Pretty good summary.
I would just add, “safe rooms” on board for the crew to retreat to.
Basically, one merchant ship that fights back and kills all the pirates will set the tone…the pirates will have to find some other line of business.
Right now it is “easy” pickings, with a minimum of hazard.
In fact if the insurance companies were involved on both sides, I would say the “pirate” insurance for disability or death would be much less then the container ship crews.

Owners also do not like shooting because pirates could escalate to torpedos.

percysunshine on April 14, 2009 at 7:35 AM

Not practical:

Launching torpedos from skiffs? Dude.

Ak’s and rpgs are cheap, readily available, disposable, and virtually untracable..torpedo systems..not so much.

Training an uneducated, 16 year old, drug riddled, Somali skinny to spray and pray with an AK is a little different than getting him to install, maintain, and utilize the elctronic guidance systems of a torpedo system in the 3rd world open sewer these savages and pygmies call home.

“Thank you,” the pirate negotiator responded, according to a U.S. military timeline, his politeness masking menace. “If we cannot [reach the] Somali coast, we will kill the infidel.” -WaPo

Interesting. This one line puts it all into perspective. Disrupt commerce and traderoutes..just one more tool in the islamofacist terror toolbox. No Quarter.

Owners also do not like shooting because pirates could escalate to torpedos.