Remember, Eritrea just concluded a round of conflict with Ethiopia and is a dirt poor nation. There is no doubt that it will cost us a princely sum, but it is money well spent IMO.
This will be good news to the sailing community as Yemen and Ethiopia harbor pirates who prey on small boats/ships in the area:
"17 April 2002 at 1030 LT in position 14:08N - 049:39E, off Mukalla, Yemen. Pirates in 6 fast boats attempted to board bulk carrier underway. Alert crew mustered & activated fire hoses. After 30 minutes boats gave up chase & fled. (Fri. April 26 2002)"
"05 Feb. 2002 at 1412 LT in position:13:32N-044:00E, S. of Aden port, Yemen. Several speedboats with 8 -10 persons in each & armed with machine guns attempted to board tanker. Master altered course & crew used pressurised fire hoses. Speedboats followed for some time & finally moved away. Later pirates in same speedboats attacked another tanker. (Fri. Feb. 15 2002)"
"28 March 2002 at 2355 LT in position 15:15N - 051:40E, Gulf of Aden. While underway, speedboat with 4 pirates onboard approached bulk carrier within 8 meters on starboard quarter. Alarm raised & search light directed on boat. Boat moved away. (Fri. April 5 2002)"