Superyacht Owners Are Warned: You Are in Somali Pirates' Sights

The Daily Scotsman ^ | Published Date: 17 April 2009 | By Luke Baker

[lewisglad]

SUPERYACHTS sailing from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean for the summer could be the next target of Somali pirates, security experts have warned.

The multi-million-dollar luxury craft, many measuring more than 300 feet and owned by some of the world's wealthiest people, tend to spend the northern hemisphere winter in the Indian Ocean or Caribbean before relocating to the Mediterranean for thADVERTISEMENT300x250 e summer to host their owners and friends.

Those moving from tropical islands such as the Seychelles, Mauritius and the Maldives need to sail through the Gulf of Aden to get to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, taking them through the pirate-infested waters off Somalia.

As the weather off the Horn of Africa has turned calmer in recent weeks, attacks have risen dramatically, with all vessels, from small merchant ships to supertankers, vulnerable. Motoryachts owned or chartered by the mega-rich could be next.

Crispian Cuss, a security specialist with Olive Group, said: "The pirates have really increased their capability. They've got better, faster boats with longer ranges, and they're able to operate at night up to 300 miles off the coast.

"If a superyacht comes through their area of operation, then they are just as likely to go for it as anything else. They would be delighted to have that. It would be rich pickings."

Scott Lidbetter, the head of Veritas International, which provides specialist maritime security advice, has seen a surge in demand in recent months as piracy has risen.

As well as training skippers and crew on how to respond to attacks, Veritas provides escorts for superyachts and luxury ships and advises on the use of technology such as high-pressure hoses and LRADs – long range acoustic devices – that have in some cases been used to fight off pirate assaults.

Superyachts – those over 40 metres long, of which there are about 1,000 in the world – are usually fast enough to escape 20-knot pirate skiffs, but surprise can work in the pirates' favour.

"The pirates now are getting more prepared to go further east, which brings vessels moving from the Seychelles, Mauritius and the Maldives into target," Mr Lidbetter said.

"They are getting very good intelligence on vessels that are either coming through the Suez Canal or the Strait of Hormuz, and there's a degree of targeting going on."

Richard Thiel, the editor and publisher of Power and Motoryacht Magazine, said the piracy threat for superyachts had always been greatest in the South China Sea, but conditions off Somalia were now making the area a danger spot.

"It's definitely possible," he said when asked if an attack on a superyacht was likely.

The threat is not only prompting mini cruise ships to sail faster and wider of the Somali coast, but it has also prompted some superyacht owners to take armed guards on board.

Carrying arms on such vessels puts owners in complicated legal water, but some see it as necessary to protect themselves. "If there is a change of behaviour in recent weeks, it's an increased desire to have weapons on board," Mr Lidbetter said.

[Landru]

"Superyacht" owners need to be warned, huh.

Oy vey.

[clamper1797]

Tell me these people can’t afford trusted armed security

[eggman]

The rich thought they only had to worry about the Obama pirates.

[Mmogamer]

They’d be really stupid not to have a security guys, and a few big guns on board heh.

[nmh]

Send Michele and Obama out there.

Maybe they can make friends with the pirates off the Kenya coast. They could also spend some time in Kenya and visit Obama’s half brother in his cute little hut. Heck he could meet the rest of his half brothers, half sisters, half aunts, half uncles ... while you get the idea.

[lewisglad]

[Landru]

"The rich thought they only had to worry about the Obama pirates."

HA!!
Yea we tried to warm 'em about that one, didn't we.
Look where --& who-- it got us. {g}

Given the propensity of "super yacht" owners ignoring warnings, the Somali pirate's future looks pretty bright.

[Big_Monkey]

"Tell me these people can’t afford trusted armed security

Modern day maritime regulations and the outrageous regulations in the varying port countries with respect to guns, makes it virtually impossible for these ships (any ships really) to carry weapons on board.

It is especially difficult (read: impossible) to carry the kind of stand-off weaponry, like M60s or M2s, that you really need to fend off these pirates. Remember, these pirates have RPGs and other propelled explosive devices. Hand held, small arms might keep them from boarding your vessel, but not without severe risk of the pirates blowing your ship out of the water.

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Quit calling them pirates...

They’re maritime community organizers. One of them is going to end up President/Prime Minister of a “Profoundly stable Somalia” someday.

[Marie2]

I thought they were a voluntary Coast Guard.

[marktwain]

“Carrying arms on such vessels puts owners in complicated legal water, but some see it as necessary to protect themselves. “If there is a change of behaviour in recent weeks, it's an increased desire to have weapons on board,” Mr Lidbetter said.”

---

This is good news. The more that people arm themselves for defense, the more acceptable it becomes. One need only read the magazines and newspapers of 50 years ago to see how far we have fallen. The right of self defense was taken as a given. Anyone who suggested that you did not have the right to defend yourself was written off as a crackpot.

Eric Blair aka George Orwell, understood this, and stated that with the rise of the totalitarian state, an armed citizenry had to be defended, because it made the difference between a citizen and a helpless victim. He correctly foresaw that the governments of the world would not tolerate armed citizens as the strove for more and more power over the populations that they controlled.

[Landru]

Y'know, lewis?
There was a boat that size moored on the Milwaukee's lakefront south of the city (near the SSYC, for those familiar with the area) a few years back.

The Capt of the boat I was on (poster a.ka "Braveman") & I couldn't for the life of us figure out WTH owned a monster that size in the Great Lakes or why they'd be in Milwaukee?
Maybe unbeknownst to us they were ahead of the curve and avoiding Somali pirates.

Then again Milwaukee has their own version of Somalia's finest since I've not seen that boat again.
But I digress...

In any event these Somali teenagers were reported to be using grenade launchers et al to do their shtick? They have to be using some kind of utra-heavy-duty hardware; otherwise, HTH could they stop these giants to begin with?

One thing's for absolute certain, they wouldn't dare mess with a[ny] "yachts" carrying Saudi royalty.

[marktwain]

“It is especially difficult (read: impossible) to carry the kind of stand-off weaponry, like M60s or M2s, that you really need to fend off these pirates. Remember, these pirates have RPGs and other propelled explosive devices. Hand held, small arms might keep them from boarding your vessel, but not without severe risk of the pirates blowing your ship out of the water.”

---

I respectfully disagree. You can bring hunting rifles to most places, though there are varying degrees of difficulty. A high powered scoped rifle has an effective range of 600-1000 meters, especially with a spotter on the water. The weak point of the pirate vessels is the engine. Virtually any high powered rifle hit anywhere on the outboard engines that they use would take them out, and render them vulnerable to further action.

I have yet to hear of a case where the pirates were resisted with firearms, and did not break off the attack and look for easier prey.

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

Tell me these people can afford to invite these pirates on board for a lobster dinner

[Landru]

"Quit calling them pirates..."

HA!!
I'm sorry. {g}

"They’re maritime community organizers. One of them is going to end up President/Prime Minister of a 'Profoundly stable Somalia' someday."

BWWWHAAAAAA!!
True-true.

I suppose I must change, these are after all, only yoots.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Seems logical that these owners could coordinate a flotilla accompanied by a well-paid naval detachment from a small nation.

[Big_Monkey]

"I respectfully disagree. You can bring hunting rifles to most places, though there are varying degrees of difficulty

In the spirit of good discussion, I respectfully disagree with your respectful disagreement.

I don't know how much experience you have firing small arms or crew served weapons of the deck of moving ships. I have a plenty. Even off large, stable ships, firing hand held small arms is very difficult and incredibly inaccurate over 50 meters. Mounted or Crew served weapons are much more accurate with a much longer lethality range. Of course, these are impossible to use legally on a private vessel.

The pirates, on the other hand, have access to RPGs. Again, I don't know how many RPGs you've fired, but I've fired a bunch. From 200m, you'd hit a 40m ship at least 1 out of every 2 times, probably much more. Private vessels have much thinner hulls than a cargo ship and certainly thinner than a military ship. A weapon designed precisely for penetrating the skin of a heavily armored tank, will easily penetrate the hull of almost all civilian ships - including even the commercial vessels.

Again, I think you could repel them from boarding quite easily and just with shotguns. The pirates had been very reluctant to fire RPGs - if you sink a ship, it makes it harder to hold for ransom. I think its only been done once since this whole business started. But, with the death of these pirates last week, their colleagues may be less inclined to play "nice". A RPG launch against a mega yacht will almost certainly disable the ship, or even sink it.

Lastly, these ships are headed to the Med. It's the countries in the Med that have the most restrictive gun laws. France, as an example doesn't allow vessels to dock with weapons on board.

[Rudder]

Octopus uses a shadow vessel that follows it and houses a complete, and armed, security detail.

[A Strict Constructionist]

Does Soros have one, if so GO PIRATES.