That ought to slow down the skinny pirates a little. ;)
Posted on 12/15/2009 7:51:17 PM PST by NelsTandberg
In recent years, maritime shipping companies, private security firms and navies around the globe have pondered the problem of high-seas piracy off Africa’s east coast, where more than 150 merchant ships have been attacked by small craft in 2009 alone. What to do? ...
... Imagine an aquatic drone, a remote-controlled boat that could patrol the waters off eastern Africa and allow threats to be assessed and engaged from a distance.
This is an idea proposed by Timothy P. Sheridan, an American arms dealer ...
His latest venture is called Maritime Defense Systems International, LLC., which offers an automated counterpiracy system, as he calls it, that could be outfitted to a vessel and set loose on patrol. The system contains forward-looking infrared radar for surveillance and target detection, an automated machine gun on a rotating mount and a satellite video uplink that would let a remote operator run the craft from the shore or a work station on a distant ship. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at atwar.blogs.nytimes.com ...
As cool as this is, why not humans doing similar work?
A 10 or 20 million dollar vessel and cargo is clearly worth a few hundred grand extra for external escorts. Just build it into the shipping pricing model.
What could possibly go wrong?
Aside from someone compromising the datalink?
My comment is an internet meme, intended to poke fun at the idea that there is a “perfect solution” to any problem.
Banks do that even when they carry far less. So two armed guards are ok to service an ATM, but no armed guards for a large ship in troubled waters?
One popular answer is that ports and countries don't allow armed vessels. My answer to that is, if authorities in Dar Es Salaam or Mombasa don't allow armed ships, don't send any ships there. Let Mombasans eat cake, or whatever they have, until they understand the realities and come up with a reasonable solution.
Personally, I was thinking more along the lines if Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear. ;-)
That ought to slow down the skinny pirates a little. ;)
What/Who gives the US congress any jurisdiction over private civilian vessels in International waters near Somalia?
It depends on whose flag the ship is flying.
This is where the market can solve the problem.
Countries which allow armed ships in their ports should pay less for shipping than countries who don’t.
And countries who allow their registered ships to be armed could attract more business.
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