How To Repel Pirates: A Primer
How do you repel pirates? Fire back. Seems too simple, no? My only criticism is the choice of weapons:
A team of Israeli guards hired by the vessel’s owners immediately began firing back with pistols and spraying the attackers with fire hoses.
The security team should have been armed with, at the least, Uzis or similar compact submachine guns. They were, however, effective.
Ignoring the obvious, the “head of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme” offered this gem:
“There are a number of other methods which can be used to deter the pirates, having weapons on board is dangerous because it raises the stakes for the pirates,” he said.
“There is a far higher risk that a crew member of a merchant vessel, or a passenger, could die if the pirates feel they must fight harder to win the ship.”
Or they might, um, give up and look for an easier target.