4.3m quid

[mcframe]

I presume that this unfortunate couple carry documents whose front page says something like "Her Brittanic Majesty's s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely and without let or hindrance.", and that her majesty's secretaries of state have happily collected money from them for many years.
Unless I'm radically wrong, I would suggest that her britannic majesty's secretaries of state ought to spend some of their (and our) taxes on blowing the kidnappers and all of their kind out of existence, rather than squandering their (and our) taxes on picking fights with other countries.
Pay off one lot of pirates, and the others will think it's worthwhile. Hang draw and quarter those that survive a 4.5" shell that suddenly arrives from over the horizon, and they might decide that it's really not worth the risk.

Interesting point - when does it become cheaper to issue letters of marque than spend tax revenue on a full-time professional navy?

I mean, the Declaration Of Paris was only about the Crimean, wasn't it?

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

If people wanted to insure themselves against piracy then that would be ok with me but to expect everyone to pay for the very few who end up in that situation is not on.
I like to think I'm paying insurance for any risks that might happen to me, my crew, my boat or any third party. Until there are Pirates with AK47s sailing the Clyde I'll keep my £100.

Nice one Ian, although I have encountered some skulls and cross bones around the Millport area recently, but I'm sure they were dead sailors from the past just out to haunt us living sailors.
C_W

 

[aquaplane]

If people wanted to insure themselves against piracy then that would be ok with me but to expect everyone to pay for the very few who end up in that situation is not on.
I like to think I'm paying insurance for any risks that might happen to me, my crew, my boat or any third party. Until there are Pirates with AK47s sailing the Clyde I'll keep my £100.

Or Windermere.

I can't remember who it was posted about going quiet, but posting when you are setting off and where you are going in that area isn't making it hard for "the bogey man" to find you. Run quiet and run deep seems a good philosophy, and if you get caught out tough.

If you let the world know your plans via blog or corrupt officials in a suspect area, you are vulnerable.

It would be better if the fishermen hadn't had their living pulled out from under them so they didn't resort to Piracy though, who did that?

 

[Bodach na mara]

Until there are Pirates with AK47s sailing the Clyde

You haven't sailed up to Bowling yet then Ian?

But seriously, paying off pirates must be a seriously bad idea. Have you seen the armaments these guys are carying? That stuff is not handed out for nothing. To adapt a "Save the Children" or Oxfam advert:

"Life as a pirate is hard. Even though a basic AK47 copy can be had for £17.50, running costs are high. Please give generously.

£10 could buy 40 bullets for an AK47.

£20 could buy 10 bullets for a heavy machine gun.

£100 could buy two RPGs

But to fire them you better donate £1000 to buy a launcher."

 

[jimi]

I don't think it works that way
Why would you pay, once you have what you want?

Did'nt mean payment .. meant a serious sorting out of the pirate industry!

 

[RIB_imposter]

So how about £100 on the average insurance policy, in return the insurance companies pay ransoms where necessary? If they let it be known that they paid £100k per person the pirates probably wouldn't even bother haggling.

You can already buy piracy/ransom/kidnap cover - but you would expect to pay significant sums for cover in such high risk areas... perhaps $30,000 for cover in this area with a payout of up to $3 million.... of course if people know who is covered it makes attacks on those people (most likely to pay up easily) more likely which is counter productive.

Many people seem to be asking why not send in the SBS - presumably nobody can guarantee that the hostages will not be killed in the process.