Pirates taking over ships? A question about it?

Friday ~ March 03, 2010

  • I have tried to find this on the news and the inter-net with no success. Aren't the people aboard these vessels armed? They must not be because they seem to be so easily overtaken. Will they arm themselves now? Thank you


  • There have been discussions over arming ship crews, but no action towards this. I think there has been no action in part because of political correctness. It should be realized that if you know someone will attempt to take something that is yours, you should be prepared to defend it.

    I have to disagree with UnitedCa in his last line. Merchant ships have indeed armed themselves throughout history. If they don't defend themselves, should just as well hand over the ship to the pirates right there in port and save the trouble of an encounter on the ocean.


  • They are armed in the sense that the captain will have a pistol and there will likely be few other small arms on the ship the captain can give to the crew. This however is to control the ship and prevent robberies and such while they are in port, not to prevent pirates from capturing the ship.

    And they aren't likely to "beef up their defences" or several good reasons:

    It would be expensive.

    It would be legally iffy, only warships and official police/coast guard type vessels are allowed to be armed under international law.

    It's not their job, control of the seaways and pirate suppression is what effing governments are for in the first place.

    Lastly and most importantly, it would make things worse. Paying a ransom is just an insurance loss, losing ships and crews in shoot outs with pirates would cost FAR more money. Even if you fight off the pirates, a few killed or wounded crew members will cost a fortune in civil settlements. And a ship sunk would be a disaster.

    So it's up to governments to fix this problem. Pirates have been a problem for all of recorded history, and they thrive in lawless areas. Right now much of Somalia is a lawless area. There's no easy fix.

    Short answer: No, they won't arm themselves now. Merchant ships never have, they're merchant ships, not warships.






  • It would be interesting to have the Somali pirates keep the vessel. The world agrees not to pay the random. Since pirates cannot unload the oil for their use or operate the tanker properly, they will be stuck with the vessel. The only smart option for any type of abduction is not to pay the ramdom.


  • most of the ships aren't armed--plus the world is full of political correct countries-they would rather pay then fight--the more they pay the more ships will be taken--blow a couple pirates(BOATS) out of the water and they will stop


  • I'm sure you can find some answers here:

    http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/art...

    If not, google Somali pirates. You should definitely get some answers there.







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