Maersk Alabama attacked AGAIN by Somali pirates!
11-25-2009, 07:23 AM
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Maersk Alabama attacked AGAIN by Somali pirates!
Only this time they fought back with a sonic cannon and live fire with rifles and were able to repel the Somali pirates. It's about time that crews started carrying weapons and fighting back. I think all ships should be equipped with an array of Mini guns... Who's going to attack a ship with a friggin Mini gun?
As featured at Wired.com:
U.S. Ship Repels Pirates With Sonic Blaster, Bullets
* By Nathan Hodge Email Author
* November 18, 2009 |
* 10:22 am |
* Categories: Terrorists, Guerillas, Pirates
Months after its skipper was rescued at sea by the Navy, the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama repelled an attack by suspected pirates today off the northeast coast of Somalia.
Back in April, the Maersk Alabama was boarded by pirates, who took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage. Phillips was freed after Navy snipers shot and killed three of the pirates who were holding him prisoner in a lifeboat.
This time, the pirates didn’t get that far. According to a statement released by the U.S. 5th Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, when a pirate skiff approached the ship this morning, the security team on board responded with evasive maneuvers, and blasted them with Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) and small-arms fire. The pirates then broke off the attack.
April’s Maersk Alabama incident forced a rethink of counter-piracy measures, including embarking armed security teams. Shipping companies and their insurers had in the past been reluctant to have armed security teams on board, but as recent incidents have shown, sometimes the combination of the LRAD, firehoses and evasive maneuvers is not enough.
Take, for instance, the case of the cruise ship MSC Melody: An Israeli security team used guns and firehoses to repel the attackers.
And while the LRAD was famously used to repel pirates in a 2005 attack on a cruise ship, a team of three security operatives was unable to outgun pirates with a sonic blaster in a separate incident. They were forced to jump ship.
Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, praised the operators of the Maersk Alabama for their willingness to take on more-robust defenses. “This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked, and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they’re in high-risk areas.”
The Maersk Alabama is now underway to its initial destination of Mombasa, Kenya.
Photo: Wikimedia
Source - http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009...aster-bullets/
- Team America
As featured at Wired.com:
U.S. Ship Repels Pirates With Sonic Blaster, Bullets
* By Nathan Hodge Email Author
* November 18, 2009 |
* 10:22 am |
* Categories: Terrorists, Guerillas, Pirates
Months after its skipper was rescued at sea by the Navy, the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama repelled an attack by suspected pirates today off the northeast coast of Somalia.
Back in April, the Maersk Alabama was boarded by pirates, who took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage. Phillips was freed after Navy snipers shot and killed three of the pirates who were holding him prisoner in a lifeboat.
This time, the pirates didn’t get that far. According to a statement released by the U.S. 5th Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, when a pirate skiff approached the ship this morning, the security team on board responded with evasive maneuvers, and blasted them with Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) and small-arms fire. The pirates then broke off the attack.
April’s Maersk Alabama incident forced a rethink of counter-piracy measures, including embarking armed security teams. Shipping companies and their insurers had in the past been reluctant to have armed security teams on board, but as recent incidents have shown, sometimes the combination of the LRAD, firehoses and evasive maneuvers is not enough.
Take, for instance, the case of the cruise ship MSC Melody: An Israeli security team used guns and firehoses to repel the attackers.
And while the LRAD was famously used to repel pirates in a 2005 attack on a cruise ship, a team of three security operatives was unable to outgun pirates with a sonic blaster in a separate incident. They were forced to jump ship.
Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, praised the operators of the Maersk Alabama for their willingness to take on more-robust defenses. “This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked, and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they’re in high-risk areas.”
The Maersk Alabama is now underway to its initial destination of Mombasa, Kenya.
Photo: Wikimedia
Source - http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009...aster-bullets/
- Team America
11-25-2009, 11:18 AM
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U.S. Ship Repels Pirates With Sonic Blaster, Bullets
It puzzles me how any shipping company would sail though un-regulated waters without an armed defense team of some sort.
Hell, in the US if a private plane flys over more than x-amount of forrested land, the pilot is required by law to have a firearm on board
11-25-2009, 11:40 AM
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11-28-2009, 06:39 AM
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I've been reading up on this, an old merchant marine once told me that due to international maritime laws, they could not arm the crew with lethal force...not exactly true.
Turns out many ships do have an armory, but most commercial shipping does not. Not because it's illegal but because it creates problems in local ports. According to the maritime blogs, ships with weapons on board, even if legal locally get looked at much harder and with suspicion. It may also be illegal due to local law for the ship to have weapons.
There is another issue, it turns out many crew members may not be willing to be involved in lethal weapons. There is a regular process of ransom that almost everyone knows exists and they are unlikely to be killed as long as they are worth something, but if they get in a firefight, then there is a possibility of being killed or if still captured a possibility of being treated more harshly while held for ransom because he fought back.
IDK what the answer is, marines on board?
Turns out many ships do have an armory, but most commercial shipping does not. Not because it's illegal but because it creates problems in local ports. According to the maritime blogs, ships with weapons on board, even if legal locally get looked at much harder and with suspicion. It may also be illegal due to local law for the ship to have weapons.
There is another issue, it turns out many crew members may not be willing to be involved in lethal weapons. There is a regular process of ransom that almost everyone knows exists and they are unlikely to be killed as long as they are worth something, but if they get in a firefight, then there is a possibility of being killed or if still captured a possibility of being treated more harshly while held for ransom because he fought back.
IDK what the answer is, marines on board?
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