Boudreaux's Anti-Pirate Ship (Photo)

[cmjeff]

[CMA_Decky]

Seems effective enough for me.

[drkblram]

get some!

It's got a stabilized mount, so theoretically, if the boat can handle weight+inertial forces during firing, it COULD work.

I think the pirates would be thinking "WTF is that?" and that would be the next to last thing going through their brains...

[Johnb]

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
I have, like many others watched the growing number of acts of piracy in and around Somalia. I have worked in the security industry, hostile/conflict areas of the world for the last 20 years. I have decided to try and help in my own way.
After talking to many seafarers and reading as much information as I could possibly find, I came up with an Idea and formed a company called http//www.over-watch.co.uk The company has only one job, place airborne security flights over areas such as the Gulf of Aden to give a large radar coverage of the area and pass on information to a base station, shipping and fly over vessels that look suspicious on the radar. Giving protection to shipping.
This gives the crew of the ships a massive heads up to any problems that they would not encounter until the first RPG came through the bulkhead. Finding out you may have a problem when it is 30, 40 or 50nm away is better than 500m's. Giving your crew the time to speed up, evasive manoeuvres, fire hoses etc.
All the information that is gathered by the aircraft is downloaded to the base station and can be picked up before the vessel travels through the Gulf or sent via e mail straight to the vessel while it is underway. First hand information, including video and still pictures.
A deterent ? I think so. If your a pirate and have an aircraft flying overhead, I would have second thoughts on trying to board a ship. Knowing that the aircraft has most likely radioed the nearest naval vessel and an armed helicopter is going to be bearing down on them within minutes.
Armed security guards on your ships ? I moved away from the idea, nearly as fast as I thought and read about it. Knowing about the security teams for a number of years in my trade, in this situation I think it's a disaster waiting to happen. The one question from the captain and his crews situation is this. What happens if your security detail open fire on pirates and LOOSE ?
What happens when the pirates get on board ? I hate to think.
Do I think I have a good idea, yes I do. Do I think it will work ? Yes, it is the same idea every Coast Guard Service has been doing with great effect for a number of years. Problem is not every coast has a Coast Guard.
Have I got any customers ? No. Interest ? Yes.
Why ? Because shipping companies still think that it is the problem of the goverments of the world to sort out and the navys of the world should supply a ship for every cargo, oil tanker and trawler.
In reality the US, UK, France, Russia, China and others will not be there for ever, they can't afford to be. Even the navy has only so much to spend.
It has to come from the maritime industry, hand in hand with the security industry.
I am not in this because I like sailors. I am in this to make money, feed my family and have a good living. But that does not mean I have to charge the earth for my companies services, fare wage for a fare job. It also does not mean I don't believe in what I am doing, because I do. Whole heartedly.
Look at the web site, drop me a line via the contact page. Tell me what you think. How you would do it, not do it.
Thank for reading this.
Johnb