Solution to the Pirate problem?

I think Obama should appoint a Pirate Czar. If for no other reason than that Pirate Czar would be an absolutely awesome title to have.
 
Cleon said:
Yes, but it would have to be Keith Richards.
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That would work!

Then they could just put a large picture of his face on the sides of all the ships. That'd be enough to scare anyone away!

Don't get me wrong, been a Stones fan since the late 60's to early 70's or so, but my god! Have you looked at Richards lately?:eek:

My theory is that he died about 20 years ago, from a drug overdose, and his burned out brain just hasn't figured it out yet. ;)
 
Dunno about the legal position but it seems there's a great opportunity for
private security companies to make a killing here.

In the good old days they could just send in the Marines. You do know what
that line "...to the shores of Tripoli" refers to, right?
 
TX50 said:
Dunno about the legal position but it seems there's a great opportunity for
private security companies to make a killing here.

In the good old days they could just send in the Marines. You do know what
that line "...to the shores of Tripoli" refers to, right?
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While looking for some info for the OP I ran across at least one reference to private companies (if I remember correctly) renting patrol craft from Yemen or one of those countries in that area, to escort ships through one of the straits around there. Despite the lack of details in that, the point is, it's being done. I think the going rate was 50 to 100 thousand dollars a day.

I'm about to crash now, but if no one else post anything about it before I get up, I'll try to find what I saw, and give a link.
 
rwguinn said:
The problem there is that it takes time.
Much like any other blockade, the blockees wind up, after a few years/months as being very much victims in the eyes of the bleeding hearts (Think of the Children!) and the blockers war-mongering child abusers and are seen as the oppressors.
The original reasoning disappears.
examples:
Cuba
Iraq
Just recent examples...
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You may want to re-think that Cuba reference. The Cubans I know-- who have come here fleeing the crapola in their home country, some due to threat of death-- hold no such opinions about the blockade.

The problem with blockades is that they're expensive and they punish everyone in the nation for the actions of the real criminals, who often turn on their own people and become even more oppressive. Add to that the fact that Somalia could simply turn west for supplies and criminal opportunities and the efficacy of a blockade dwindles rapidly.
 
John McClane. Sure, there's only one of him, but the catch, you don't know which boat he's on. Hijack the wrong boat... and die. Hard.

Alternatively, Chuck Norris. Sure, there's only one of him, but one Chuck Norris is all you need.
 
Pirates are on the rise because of the false FSM cult! Beware the Anti-FSM! The end times are near! The kitchen of Heaven is out of the noodles of Knowledge and the sauce of Providence!
 
Back to the OP: that's an interesting solution, but is it necessary? In fact, I'm not clear on why the military needs to be involved at all.

The pirates are just some guys in small boats with automatic weapons, right? Would it really cost the shipping company that much to have a few trained guards from Blackwater (I'm sorry, "Xe") with proper equipment on board? It'd be a whole lot cheaper than sending in the SEALS after the fact, at least.

I wouldn't think a large container ship would be that hard to defend. But, perhaps that's why I'm in finance and not security.
 
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Why not send all cargo past the Somali coast in submarines?
What are all the World's military submarines doing at the moment? Bugger all. That's what.
Just wandering about the sea, sometimes coming up to the surface for a bit and then going back down again.
Should make themselves useful for once
 
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plumjam said:
Why not send all cargo past the Somali coast in submarines?
What are all the World's military submarines doing at the moment? Bugger all. That's what.
Just wandering about the sea, sometimes coming up to the surface for a bit and then going back down again.
Should make themselves useful for once
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This is a suboptimal use for these valuable and powerful assets (heh). They'd be better employed launching their nuclear-tipped cruise missiles at the pirate bases, solving the problem once and for all.
 
theprestige said:
Convoys are less efficient than letting each ship sail on its own most convient schedule, at its own most optimal speed. The cost of the occasional act of piracy is probably still less than the cost of convoying, otherwise shippers would be doing it already
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Does it always all come down to money with you? It's a worker safety issue and a law enforcement issue.

The Constitution says that government has to deal with pirates.

An alternative is to assign a single corridor and deploy fast-attack squadrons along that corridor.

No, I do NOT want to see a dirtbag outfit like Black Water out there. They would have a high likelihood, as demonstratred in Iraq, to just blow away the occassional boat because its skipper looked a a BW thug with an evil eye.

Our Navy, and the navies of most of the world exist, first and foremost, to ensure the freedom of the seas. Use them.
 
How does a Pirate get onto a cargo ship? Aren't they usually pretty tall? Seems like any pirate trying to board a modern cargo ship would be pretty vulnerable.

A few shotguns under captains lock and key could go a long way to discouraging pirates. Make it known... anyone boarding a U.S. ship risks a 12 gauge to the face as the climb up.

.02
Russell
 
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