[Sender]

They may be controlled by Osama, but of course the names of registry will not include his. They may be registered to Achmed al Kamel, cousin of someone who owns a warehouse business, whose brother is a truck driver, who sometimes visits Pakistan, etc. To most people the ships would be untraceable to bin Laden. But serious intelligence types can compare schedules, routes, known contacts, etc and start to get the big picture...enough to warrant a peek in the hold and a look at the owners.

[Restorer]

The main reason privateering went out of fashion was because it routinely deteriorated into plain old-fashioned piracy.

Y'all do realize that privateers attack ships, then ask questions, I hope.

What do you say after killing a dozen men in the attack and then finding out you've got the wrong ship? Ooops?

[labowski]

Barretts Privateers, a song by Stan Rogers we used to cover.