Meeting the Pirate Threat on the High Seas

Piracy is once again a serious threat to world shipping -- even to the leisure cruise industry. Ad hoc approaches to defending a ship from well armed pirates in high speed boats have achieved variable results. Current maritime laws prevent crews from using lethal force against armed invaders. Summary justice on the high seas -- immediate execution -- while effective in earlier ages, is prevented by modern international law.

Here is one non-lethal approach for preparing ships in advance for this threat:

Engineers have modified a firefighting robot to fend off attacks by pirates. It can ‘wash away pirates along with their weapons’ and even sink their boats.

The device is based upon a design for extinguishing fires on seagoing vessels and in ports. It was developed by the Centre of Firefighting Robotechnics in Petrozavodsk, a city in northern Russia.

A total of 12 such robots are needed to protect a ship. In automatic mode the system monitors its sector and if motion sensors detect an attack, a water cannon shoots at an approaching boat. Cameras also allow the robot to be operated manually from the bridge.

The water cannon is powerful enough to wash away boarding pirates and even sink their motorboats.

The manufacturer says a freighter company in Murmansk has ordered a number of their novel robots for testing.

The increased number of attacks in the Gulf of Aden off the African shore has forced several countries, including Russia, to send warships to patrol the troubled waters. _RussiaToday

High pressure salt water might just be the ticket, if properly targeted -- and if the systems are properly maintained. Of course pirates would immediately attempt to develop counter-measures to this new threat to their livelihood.

Interesting question: In the course of defending their ships, would crews be obligated by international law to rescue any pirates that end up thrashing about in shark-infested waters after a failed attempt at piracy?