Today the U.S. Navy released this photo of the M/V Faina and her crew, currently taken hostage by Somali Pirates. Richard Meade of Lloyds List writes;
The news that Somali pirates are currently holding well over 200 seafarers hostage and the lifeblood of our apparently collapsing global economy is now under near daily attack by armed militants did not even manage to make the ‘and finally’ sections.
A case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, according to the shipping industry associations that have laid out a desperate plea for international action.
They are right of course. If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments currently ignoring the surge in maritime attacks would be very different indeed. Continue Reading…
The numbers are stunning as is the IMB’s live map of attacks. There are solutions but time and expense can not be avoided. Ship owners outside of the cruise industry lack logos, memorable trademarks or business models tied to global consumer acceptance. This combined with a regulatory system that allows individual ships to be set up as separate legal entities, insured against loss, flying the flag of one country, inspected by another, crewed by even more… allows shipowners to hide behind managers and crewing agents. Crews suffer.
A vessel sailing within 500miles of Somalia without a full compliment of well rested and alert mariners with the tools needed to combat threat needs to be a criminal liability for shipowners. Vessel masters need to be in strong defense of their orders and stand up to both crew and management. All aboard need to be well trained, alert and aware of the resources at their disposal. Do you, the mariner, know how to contact the Navy for help?
The numbers are large and the people are real. Solutions are available if we, the maritime community, care enough to make them a priority.
Tags: · anti_piracy, piracy
In light of the recent piracy news from Somalia we thought it best to bring you up-to-date on the latest technology being considered for use in deterring pirates. Listed in order of likely effectiveness:
10. Fire Hose
The most common means of deterring pirates is with the use of firehoses. A ships crew will line up on deck, activate the large firepumps in the engine room and use the pressurized sea water to knock pirates off of boarding ladders. While this is effective it’s of little use when the boarding craft approaches with it’s 50 caliber machine gun armed.
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9. Automated Fire Monitor
The next step is a remote controlled fire monitor which can be aimed from a remote location. The only pitfall here is knowing where to place the monitors.
While Unitor’s Force Monitor is impressive most shipboard fire monitors are manual and operate with less force (Video Demonstration)
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8. Crowd Control Munition
[Continue Reading →]
Tags: · anti_piracy, piracy, somalia, weapons
Want to know more about The Protector? Popular Mechanics tells us;
Robots versus pirates—it’s not as stupid, or unlikely, as it sounds. Piracy has exploded in the waters near Somalia, where this past week United States warships have fired on two pirate skiffs, and are currently in pursuit of a hijacked Japanese-owned vessel. At least four other ships in the region remain under pirate control, and the problem appears to be going global: The International Maritime Bureau is tracking a 14-percent increase in worldwide pirate attacks this year.
The Protector, which comes mounted with a 7.62mm machine gun, wasn’t originally intended for anti-piracy operations. But according to BAE Systems spokesperson Stephanie Moncada, the robot could easily fill that role. “Down the line, it could potentially be modified for commercial use as well,” she says. Instead of being deployed by a warship to intercept and possibly fire on an incoming vessel, a non-lethal variant of the Protector could be used to simply investigate a potential threat. Continue Reading…
Also be sure to check out BitterEnd’s video find: Tres Cool - RIB boarding a Chinook
Tags: · anti_piracy, bae_systems, coast_guard, high_seas, international_maritime_bureau, ISPS, israeli_defense, law_enforcement_agencies, lockheed_martin, machine_gun, Marine Technology, Navy, piracy, pirate, popular_mechanics, robots, skiffs, Uncategorized, unmanned_surface_vessels, USCG, Video, warship, warships, weapons, youtube
Maritime Links Editor’s Blog brings us the Pentagon’s Ray Gun.
Could this non-lethal device be the answer to piracy problems and our question “Do weapons belong aboard ships?”
Visit the blog post HERE to find out.
Tags: · anti_piracy, piracy, weapons
Our friends at MaritimeLinks covered a story on the recent Somali pirate incidents. To conclude the post they write:
I would recommend to anyone of my friends sailing in these waters or other hostile territories- to make sure you have some type of weapon with you on the vessel you sail on.
Read The Full Post
What are your thoughts on having weapons aboard ship?
Tags: · anti_piracy, piracy, somalia
