I see your point. And I was being a little facetious there. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t let the shipowners off the hook. They want to save money by not flying the American flag. Yet they want the protection of the American Navy.
Something is wrong with that picture.
Along those lines, I would not oppose sending a bill to the Country the vessel is flagged under.
But I feel it is the duty of all vessels from all countries to render assistance to any distress call to the extent that they are capable of. Obviously a commercial vessel won’t be able to assist with a distress call for piracy, but any blue water warship certainly should be able to.
There should be severe consequences for any country whos ships refuses to answer ANY distress call.
The country under whos flag the vessel in distress flies should expect to pay for the costs of that assistance.
The oceans must be kept free of pirates, and all sea faring nations should share that obligation.
Not really. Whether we like it or not, the US is the world’s policeman and one of our jobs is to keep the shipping lanes safe and free.
No other country is capable of the task. What we don’t see is what happens if we stop fulfilling that role. What cost is associated with just watching pirates/countries/terrorists take over the seas.
Our presence in itself is a deterrent. If we need to occasionally lend a hand in checking the ne’er do wells, it sends a message to others. It’s a benefit that is not possible to quantify in the long term.
It’s a role the US must perform.