Posted on 04/26/2009 10:42:16 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Israeli private security guards exchanged fire with pirates who attacked an Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board far off the coast of Somalia, and drove them away, the ship's commander said Sunday.
Cmdr. Ciro Pinto told Italian state radio that six men in a small white boat approached the Msc Melody and opened fire Saturday night, but retreated after the Israeli security officers aboard the cruise ship returned fire.
"It felt like we were in war," Pinto said.
None of the roughly 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members were hurt, Melody owner Msc Cruises said in a statement issued by its German branch.
Domenico Pellegrino, head of the Italian cruise line, said Msc hired the Israelis because they were the best trained security agents, the ANSA news agency reported.
Civilian shipping and passenger ships have generally avoided arming crewmen or hiring armed security for reasons of safety, liability and compliance with the rules of the different countries where they dock.
Saturday's exchange of fire was one of the first reported between pirates and a nonmilitary ship. International military forces have battled pirates, with US Navy snipers killing three holding an American captain hostage in one of the highest-profile incidents.
Saturday's attack occurred about 325 kilometers north of the Seychelles, and about 800 kilometers east of Somalia, according to the anti-piracy flotilla headquarters of the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa.
Pinto said the pirates fired with automatic weapons, slightly damaging the liner, and tried to put a ladder on board. But he said they were unable to climb aboard.
The commander said his security forces opened fire with pistols. The ANSA news agency said the pistols had been kept in a safe under the joint control of the commander and security chief.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
A possible way around this is for your security crew itself to "attack" the ship soon after it leaves port, board it, "force" the ship to feed them and give them a place to sleep, and when the pirates attack, the security crew just happens to be armed and manning strategic positions on the ship. Then they swiss-cheese a couple of pirates, "demand ransom" themselves, and leave when the ship reaches its destination.
Good for the Italians.
Too bad the security guys were forced to return fire with pistols only.
IMHO, a mounted 50 caliber MG would be a lot more efficient.
Start sinking pirate boats. That would deter them.
Msc hired the Israelis because they were the best trained security agentsI'm sure there are Americans just as good. But Americans aren't beyond the reach of Obummer and Pelosi Truther Squads. The Israelis, thankfully, are.
—it says a lot for Israeli firearms training that pistols could drive off “pirates” presumably armed with AK’s-—
Any boat opening fire on another should be treated as a pirate vessel subject to immediate sinking, with no pickup of any survivors.
Rocks in place of Racks
.357 from 6" barrels are pretty effective at gunfight range.
Also the “platforms” for the two sides. I’ll take a nice pistol on a relatively stable cruise ship any day over an AK on a small, bobbing fishing boat!
I have an evil dream: I hit the lottery, and invest in a beat-up old container freighter. Then I buy a stack of used CONEX containers, and place them onboard. SEVERAL of the CONEX containers have been modified with a pop-out armored M-60 mount and several armored sniper positions. Arm-up with some -60s and Barretts or PSKs, and go on a Somali Pirate Safari. And we go a-hunting on the wild Somali Seas. . . in my very own Q-ship.
And the best part is the name of the vessel: the M.V. Recumbent Mallard. . . .
Here you see the economics of the situation. Each ship pays $20k to $30k in insurance, which is a good deal less than the cost of armed security.
The insurers rake in a total $400M to $600M, paying out $100M.
Economically, it makes sense to just buy the insurance and pay the ransom.
It also, of course, encourages more pirates to join in, so in the long run is not a viable strategy.
But where’s the fun in THAT ??
Plus, as Kipling noted, once you pay the Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane. . .
True enough, but Danegeld is usually, in the short term, a great deal less expensive than a war.
George Washington and John Adams both paid tribute to the Barbary pirates so our ship would not be molested. This was probably a lot less expensive than the cost of a military expedition.
It was left up to Jefferson, philosophically opposed to military action, to order the Navy and Marines into action against the enemy.
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