US Flagged Vessel Captured! UPDATE: Navy SEALS take out pirates

[Onkel Neal]

Rescue Fuels Debate Over Arming Crews

But the expanding range and seafaring skills of Somali pirates are prompting some experts to start calling for changes. The killing by United States Navy sharpshooters of three Somali pirates during the rescue on Sunday of Richard Phillips, the American captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, has further raised the stakes, with at least one Somali pirate on shore threatening vengeance on the next American seafarer captured.

Honestly, I don't see why the US Navy just doesn't enforce a Somali no-sail zone. Somalia has no real government, just sink anything that hits the water over knee deep.

I can't see why the nations with warships in the area don't set up Q-Ships and put special forces types on random ships transiting the area , after the first few pirate attacks get stomped ,'the badguy's are going start wondering 'Is this a normal unprotected ship or are we going to get killed?" , And it would be alot cheaper than arming every crew or escorting every ship.

[Letum]

Honestly, I don't see why the US Navy just doesn't enforce a Somali no-sail zone. Somalia has no real government, just sink anything that hits the water over knee deep.

That's inhumane.

Where does one start?
Firstly that would penalise and kill civilians for more than it would pirates,
not least because Somalia has been in a famine, or on the brink of one,
since the late '80s and the dwindling fish stocks on the Somali coast, that
are not being illegally fished by foreign vessels, is a major food source for
Somalia.
Have you no respect for innocent life?
Have you no respect for National sovereignty or international law? Just
because America can attack civilian boats in dismembered 3rd world
countries and cause mass starvation, doesn't mean it would ever be right
to do so.
Have you no consideration for the way this would further tarnish the,
already dim, view the vast majority of the world rightly has for your nation?

Why the 'cowboy' attitude to foreign policy so many Americans and
American leaders have?

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Rescue Fuels Debate Over Arming Crews



Honestly, I don't see why the US Navy just doesn't enforce a Somali no-sail zone. Somalia has no real government, just sink anything that hits the water over knee deep.

An excellent article. One of the best I've read on the subject.

The problem with a no-sail zone is picking out the legit fishermen. You start killing those people, their familly starve, their sons grow up and decide to avenge their fathers... Yeah. Last ship I was on, we had (for some reason) a guide to distinguishing Somali fishermen from pirates. It wasn't as simple as "shoot everyone wearing a ski mask".

A few helicopter carriers patrolling the areas, possibly setting their AIS to look like merchant ships... And something like an AWAC looking for swarms of small crafts. That might do the trick.