Somali Pirates, a solution

Georgio

Georgio

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With the economic climate as it is there must me a few ships around that are not being used, why don't a few countries put together a joint taskforce that motor around these pirate infested waters in the guise of a regular ship waiting to be boarded.

Would love to see the Pirates faces when a number of heavily armed SAS boys jump out of the hold /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

What do you think???

We (the developed countries of the world) need to take serious action on this before it gets out of control.
 
A much better solution would be to help the Somalis to solve their internal problems, gaurantee their fishing rights, stop polluting their coastline and help them trade with the rest of the world.

That would stop the vast majority of the problem pretty quickly I'd bet.
The few true gangsters left could be dealt with appropriately.
 
[ QUOTE ]
A much better solution would be to help the Somalis to solve their internal problems, gaurantee their fishing rights, stop polluting their coastline and help them trade with the rest of the world.

That would stop the vast majority of the problem pretty quickly I'd bet.
The few true gangsters left could be dealt with appropriately.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why does some killjoy always come along with a properly considered solution. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
The Somalis joke apparently that the warlords turned to piracy because there was nothing left to rob in their own country! This is going to go on for a long time (unfortunately for mariners) and it's far from clear that gunfire will solve the problem faster than negotiation. However what we are witnessing is no doubt "twin track diplomacy"! It may become necessary for convoys of smaller ships to be escorted. In fact it would be great if the Yemenis and Omanis could do this along their own coastline now.
 
[ QUOTE ]
A much better solution would be to help the Somalis to solve their internal problems, gaurantee their fishing rights, stop polluting their coastline and help them trade with the rest of the world.

That would stop the vast majority of the problem pretty quickly I'd bet.
The few true gangsters left could be dealt with appropriately.

[/ QUOTE ]

It may have gone too far already. Listening to a report this morning the locals are concerned that the youth are seeing piracy as a route to quick bucks and so would they have an incentive to do meaningful work even if such existed.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Would love to see the Pirates faces when a number of heavily armed SAS boys jump out of the hold /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong lot - you need the boys from Poole ( SBS )not Hereford...............
Then watch them squirm.................................

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
It does seem to boggle the mind that these pirates can capture large ships.
Certainly shipping people need to make success more unlikely. Armour and guns etc.....

To talk of going in to sort out the internal problems sounds magnanimous however I fear it would soon become yet another war. ie not much different to Afganistan Iraq etc. There are enough do gooders chanting "no war".

It seems that the first rule is that life has no value. So they are happy to risk their own lives to steal from others.

I have no suggestions for solutions except forceful defence of the ships.

good luck (to Somalia) (they need it) olewill
 
Easily sorted, keep a decent watch,(spend money on "trained crew") infra red and radar proximity detection systems, a box or two of grenades/RPG`s, a couple of fifty cal RMG`s and the potential to missile their mother ship?
"A no response situation, only breeds piracy, Soft option is no option" (ardie 1978) as for the wooly pullies proffering help to Somalia, I have no comment as I don`t think that we should "invade and quell" as China might now have something to say about that, as with many of the other "countries" of that continent.
 
hmmm... if you were driving down the street in a hire car and someone pointed at gun at you and told you to get out your car would you try fight them off or just give them the hire car.

The crew arn't soldiers. I'm sure its a lot easier to cause significant damage / hit a super tanker with a rocket launcher then a small RIB. Also remember no one wants to see one of these ships on fire or sunk in a region where clean up will be unemaginable.

I haven't got a solution, but perhaps escorted convoys will have to be a norm for now.

Retaking vessels from the pirates will lead to major problems I'm sure, preventing them from falling into their hands in the first place is more desireable.

Its such a vast area I'm not sure if its possible to police it well (not without a brute force approach)

Andy
 
How much damage can a hand held device do to a VLCC/large container vessel? I h\ve no real idea. Granted it is designed to penetrate armour so its going to make a hole but will it seriously threaten a 100,000 tonne vessel? I have to assume, given the response, that the answer is yes. However it will make a hole, not penetrate deep inside and yes, a couple of well sited 50 cals would presumably be adequate defence if the crew were trained and paid for it.
 
Its a huge problem.


Commercially to avoid the Somali coast (600nm off is recomended) is a nightmare.

Its impossible if you wish to use the Suez canal too.


A friend of mine (in a yacht) was attacked a couple of weeks ago and due his actions was 'saved' by a helo from a french frigate. He saw the attackers following him at a distance and as dawn broke they increased speed and approached - a VHF call alerted the navy vessel who had in fact been his earlier escort vessel; until just off Djibouti when it was considered, by the escort, that his pack was safe.
 
Subs to track the mother ships when they come out of their bases, vector proper Q-ships into position to be the bait (ie no flammable cargo, vitals given some armour protection), response either by Trojan horse (hidden troops on board), after pirates board or by hidden guns prior to boarding depending on scenario.

Big change at the moment is the vastly increased danger for the merchant crews traversing the region now, being taken hostage isn't going to be what it used to be.

Unfortunately we aren't good at providing the infrastructure fix via economy, witness the poppy fields still is use in Afghanistan....and the jobs that could be created won't create the pay, stability of juju to replace the attractions of piracy...

Perhaps offering bounty payments to anti-piracy privateers would work as I think they did in the last maritime piracy cleanup in the 18th C???
 
[ QUOTE ]
A friend of mine (in a yacht) was attacked a couple of weeks ago and due his actions was 'saved' by a helo from a french frigate. He saw the attackers following him at a distance and as dawn broke they increased speed and approached - a VHF call alerted the navy vessel who had in fact been his earlier escort vessel; until just off Djibouti when it was considered, by the escort, that his pack was safe.

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps the pecerption by the pirates was "if its worth escorting..."

No easy answers, glad he was OK!
 
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