Why Ships Stopped Using Weapons Against Pirates

Agree. Complete nonsense

Right. The guns are just the sprinkles on top

These countries are flooded with guns. They can buy them for the price of a chicken.

😂

I agree. I call total BS on WATOP's reasoning... or lack thereof.

Is that why we've been executing people for piracy for centuries and we have more pirates than ever? Piracy is caused by poverty as long as there are starving people watching boats full of money sail past there will always be new pirates.

@@Balrog4242 because we stop killing pirates that why there more, you're clueless how this game is play out, when peoples play stupid game and doesn't die they keep repeating the same shit over and over again, repeat offender stop when they Die.

That argument can be used against anything that you do not like. Can you always be sure that the boat contains pirates? I would say no and therefore it is better to use a mostly harmless defense to avoid harming innocent people.

If you're in the middle of some place and a boat keeps coming towards you they are not harmless

@@Balrog4242 There has never been less poverty in the world than there is now. Piracy is literally a matter of opportunism, and the answer is to take away the opportunity. If all pirates end up being fish food in short order, no one will choose to be a pirate for any reason.

Gigachad Popeye.

What a Chad lol 🤣

if it's an Aegis ship he could have just switch the radar from 'search and track' to 'microwave'

Probably because pirates present absolutely no threat whatsoever to an Aegis cruiser.

@@Shadowburn2- They might not threaten the cruiser, but they do threaten other ships in the area. Well… maybe not anymore… but the point still stands.

Seems like multi country bureaucracy is the sole reason they aren't armed, and your reaching logically to pad a video.

This is a BS video ... not truthful in the most generous sense of the word. Merchant vessels often hire armed security teams to transverse that part of the globe. You face guns with guns .. Not guns vs water baloons and kazoos from your 9 yr old's birthday party.

Typical crew are not trained with weapons and some of them probably shouldn’t be trusted with weapons. So there’s that.

Also went on about guns being bad, then basically half the video is about insanely complicated and expensive "non lethal" means of defending a ship. If you think the pirates would kill you for shooting at them what do you think they'd do if you trash their boat with a net gun and other attacks. Just seems like an endorsement by the anti pirate industry to sell stupid self defense options.

This is one of the lamest KZhead channels I've ever come across - and that's saying something!

The video misses a major way armed guards work on vessels. Often times the armed guards are contractors and will meet the vessels at sea and leave before they make port.

@@elix901 It does not miss that, it's stated at the end of the video.

Well, the issue is that most pirates are from places where life is cheap. They are risking their lives regardless- whether it is due to being caught or shot by security, due to weather, heaving boat drowned with water canons, or gang activity on land or just starvation. But yeah, his points are weak.

@@syriuszb8611 turning someone's buddy into a pink mist is a universal language. It worked in iraq and Afghanistan, and life was pretty cheap there as well.

the sailor is a civilian. He may not have the training or the willpower to kill even in self defense. Arming them might sound like a direct solution, but it's not actually a risk you can take as a company.

They're *technically* illegal.

now they know why 2A infringement is such an issue.

It's as political as it is economical, if a nation don't want merchants to defend themselves says a lot about said nation's relationship with other countries. Because even if you trade with an ally, you will never know if they are double crossing you by giving away your ship's location to a enemy country.

Sounds very 'Australian' to me. Sadly, my fellow countrymen worship victims.

@@sunriseboy4837 What?!? I'm an American, and American's think of Australians as completely tough-as-nails and totally badass. Like, Mad Max is actually a documentary. Sort of the same way we view Canadians, but with fewer wolverines and polar bears, and far more venomous critters.

@@mournblade1066 Yeah, well, I've been born and bred here. Aussies aren't nearly as 'tough as you'd like to think. Australia is one of the leading woke countries on the planet. We now have the various state police dept's telling us what is, and isn't mis or dis-information. And people are being pursued vigorously because of it.

@@sunriseboy4837 It's almost as if there's a race on to become the most wokeness-victimized country. Is your country also a victim of "Woke"?

@@sunriseboy4837 Don't destroy my preconceived notion of the Great Southern Land! (Next someone is going to do the same to the Great White North!)

If pirates are really so poor, where do they get money to buy the guns you think they CAN buy?

@@UpcomingJedi exactly

MAERSK has two barriers to better weapons: Legal channels and willingness to spend the money. Corporations are cheapskates, my friend.

@@UpcomingJedi Who says they *buy* them?

@@ChobinoftheFunk They are free to get just about any weapon they want. Also it is the PMCs who buy them and they can get their hands on military grade weapons and have networks of offshore depots.

😅

While they're at it, maybe they should just make piracy ilegal. That should prevent all piracy, right? 😂

When you buy a gun, you should have to sign a contract that says "I'm not a pirate." That way pirates can't buy guns!

To Quote Captain Jack Sparrow "Pirate"

😂😂😂

Not stupid. A real thing.

@@brootham9979 Who said that stupidity is not real?

Being unarmed no fire arms etc. pardon the pun but being able to repel with water cannons they already have to clear the bildge may not be stupid legally. I don't know. Would it save on insurance? Is it practical though? Follow the money that can show many things. He throws in some other suggestions lol. Macgyver would have had kittens. There may be some merit to this madness. Makes for a clean ship, which is a deal in itself. That stuff is there anyway. YMMV. I assume a few firearms like a normal vessel just not a SWAT Team with a Thor cannon.

@@brootham9979 Yep a real thing that's stupid.

@@zlatanclovecic1944 if people tried and failed for that reason then its real

Why is it that these people don't have enough to make it on there own western society is the worst way to live all for the all horrible dollar

We engaged at 400 yards. As soon as a weapon was visible, we fired a warning shot. If they continued, one aimed for the motor, another aimed for anyone holding an RPG or DShK, RPD or another heavy machine gun. If they didn't have those, but had just AK's they usually backed off. If they had heavy weapons, they woukd risk it and bring out 3 to,4 boats and try to surround you. Then you took out the engines, and the heavy-duty guys as quick as possible. Once they got within 200, it was the 7.62 guns and if they got within 100 or attempted boarding, it was our 5.56 guns and shotguns. One man per sector and then once a sector was cleared, we fell back to the next sector that was under the most immediate threat. We made boarding super difficult. There were water hoses going, plus we placed giant fenders on the decks and in front of the doors. In addition, the rails amd floors were covered with petroleum jelly. We also had giant tubs of capsaicin attached to the firehose. It started as a mist and sprayed the pepper spray down until the tubs were empty and then the water levels increased. It covered the outside of the yacht with a bunch of the capsaicin dust water that they would have to climb through. Once the water pressure increased, the stream blew past where the capsaicin was, so it didn't get washed away. If the yacht had a compressor on board, and most did, we had an attachment for that and it contained broken glass particles. Finely ground broken glass filled with broken glass dust that woukd make you itch and rub the broken glass pellets further into your skin. Plus we had shotgun shells that shot burning magnesium and aluminum powder. Essentially Dragon's Breath rounds, but more reliable and they stayed burning. We woukd also hang the fenders over the side and fill them halfway with water. When they were swinging and moving with a yacht doing 12 knots and making wild turns, they became pretty good at knocking people about. They could be cut off pretty easy, but by the time you were dealing with that, somebody was engaging you with a rifle or shotgun.

@@clifbradley That's awesome. How did you get that job? I'd love to do the same thing.

@@KatalciThey usually only accept veterans or people who has at least 2 years experience in their national armed force. One group I known of is called Arcademi, which is a mercenary/private security force used by US govt, and they had application form on their site. Not sure if they changed their names now though.

​@@rezzyredskinwhat?

Then Iran starts paying them for draining our resources.

Yes, while in international waters. But all ships come to ports, the whole purpose of cargo ships is to load and unload, not just sail around with cargo!

@@scvcebc Why the nasty sarcasm? Did you even do a fact check before you posted? JFI I am a retired Blue Water Skipper. There are other reasons why some ships do not carry arms and there are protocols for ships carrying arms when they come into port. Sheesh!

@@kevinu.k.7042amazing how far some people will take pretzel logic to argue that being armed is worse than not being armed; even when you know damn well you’re going into harms way. Seems people have taken the Uber eats mentality a little too far. Outsourcing security is now and has always been a bad idea as a general concept. But deciding to rely on third party security in the gulf of Aiden seems beyond crazy. The sea is big and boats are slow. It seems insane to me that companies like Maersk haven’t at a minimum got security crews that just ride back and forth with vessels in dangerous waters, or bought a few CWIS units from a navy to run anti-piracy defense. Imagine a pirate boat wandering into a CWIS😂.

I made it 45 seconds.

​@@scvcebc what is your source on that making weapons impractical?

Fire?

Sink?

Bridge?

Depends on the pirates. Indonesians just want your cigarettes, your whiskey and your cash.

The snoze berries taste like snoze berries

non lethat tech is not a joke...

It's like a Monty python skit

​@user-McGiver it is compared to an armed crew. Armed crews also prevent the company men from being assholes. Maybe that's the part they don't like.

@@haskelswain1842 yes, like a Monty Python skit, but reversed. At least Monty Python had the right idea about defending against fruit.

@@alexk3088 I could picture the crew looking down at the pirates trying to board them....your mother was a hampster and your father smelt of elderberries now go away or I shall taunt you for a second time.

targeting at sea? have you ever been on a rough sea with 2-4 meter waves, sailed a speedboat or a smaller yacht at 20+ knots? Do you know that it jumps so much that aiming is impossible, You can hit a ship that is 200 meters long. but you certainly won't hit the key point you're aiming for, And the water cannon fills your boat or yacht in 3 minutes so much that it starts to sink Besides, firing an RPG at a ship attracts unwanted attention The warships of the USA, UK, France, Russia, China, India patrolling there may not have the desire to hunt every pirate boat, but if an RPG appears, then it becomes a very desirable target and since these navies use large cruisers that have helicopters, pirates want to be unannounced until the last second

The truth is the water hoses just tell the pirates that you've seen them and they no longer have surprise. In theory this means you've radioed for help and your ship is flagged as possibly taken over, the coast guard is on the way if they're nearby, and the pirates still have to fight you (which really means making it through a long series of reinforced doors). So they leave 90 percent of the time to find somebody who is still asleep ;)

@@tihomirrasperic Drones and gimbals for a few thousand dollars yeah I could do it.

Hasn't been done yet so doesn't seem that easy of an assignment to do. Not everything is a John wick movie where people can hit head shots on a speeding water boat on a moving target 🙄

Not a pin point accurate weapon, they may have only one warhead, so it's just for showing off, and trying to hit a small moving target, on the waves, on a speeding boat, speeding through the waves and the ships wake... is a little difficult. Like getting a bullseye at darts while on the back of a bucking bull from across the arena.

We all have a soft spot for pirates! Aaarghh

Because the politicians protecting them are also criminals

Criminals cover criminals

Self delusion.

@synewparadigm so true they think the world is puppy and kitten

I know, right

Here here

That describes almost every country in the world, and the reason they do it is otherwise people sail boats full of soldiers into their country and take it over.

😂

@@Balrog4242 Ok, here is the thing if they were going to sail troops into your nation having a law against them sailing troops into your nation is not going to stop them. Oh look it is a gun free zone sign! Damn the criminal says thwarted again! turns around and leaves.....LOL

And what if countries do not allow you to enter their ports with weapons?

It's not about a stupid idea, but the factors that affect EVERYTHING

You are stupid my guy

So? The point of this video is showing you that it's common for ships to go to places where it's illegal to carry guns on the ship, so these are options they have for keeping pirates away and not get thrown in prison

Imagine not watching the video.

So you'd order a nuclear strike on the entire Somali coast? If plundering a ship at the risk of death is a worthy consideration to the people living there, I doubt that starting an arms race between merchants and pirates and sinking a few ships will really change the pirates' risk assessments.

actually dead bodies float

@@2836ndk I think "chum" would describe the result

@@Hlkpf THAT may be a bit extreme... but what's the first real conflict the US Marines got into? We were paying something line 1/3 of the new country's GDP to pirates for "safe" passage. Groups of people can provide value in exchange for trade, or leave everyone else alone! "From the halls of Montezuma, to the...

@@16ft2in While I get that there might be cases in which an assault can be successful in dealing with a threat actor (ignoring whether or not it was just or appropriate, taxation is not categorically immoral), these situations are not comparable, imho. Just to be clear: I assume you are talking about the Battle of Nassau and that by "pirates" you mean "Englishmen". Regardless of being a European who doesn't know much about American history and being pretty much clueless in geology, I'm confident enough to say that the freighters don't belong to Somali colonies (I would go as far as to claim that Somalia doesn't have any colonies). If they did and they wanted to become independent, the Battle of Nassau wouldn't be a good reference - from what I can tell, it played no provable role in Americas independence. Then, American trading goods where taxed in England (legally). Afaics, the Somali pirates aren't asking for a toll but boarding ships at random and without notice. Also, I suspect they are not only taking the toll + reminder charges. There might be a method for determining the the amount they are taking but you'll have to explain a little more if you want to me to take that idea seriously. The "pirate problem" was "solved" five years after both the Battle of Nassau and the Battle of Saratoga. While it was a military victory, it's still not comparable. There was a war. Britain was neither cornered nor did it fear for it's life. Britain wasn't debating whether or not they wanted to arm their ships - the war was already on! "War" is pretty much something that won't go down well in this situation. "And then there was the glorious war of Somalia against the Rest of the World, in which rich conglomerates hired highly-trained mercenaries to slaughter a starving people while it was struggling to survive" is not something I want my kids to be taught at school, you know?

Thank you for your service!

Interesting info, but how many security officers were on board at the same time? I would guess 4, that works in shifts and concentrates on having most awake around dusk and dawn. I do understand it is a risky job that warrants high pay, but why not get ex-military/anti-cartel police from low-cost countries instead? Former asian soviet blocs and latinos would surely accept that job at a real discount. They could arm some boats with westerners and some with others, making it a lottery for the pirates. Or mixing the two groups to get both benefits.

@@LeporidaeanDream You are correct on most counts. The standard detail is 4 men. Originally Trident hired only ex-SEALs, and they were very effective in killing Somali pirates. Now ships can hire a team of individuals from developing countries much cheaper, and the pirates won’t even approach when they see an armed man on the bridge wing. Also, the industry has become saturated, as all industries do. I spent a few days on a barge at sea while our vessel was in port getting planned maintenance done. The port in question was the cheapest for getting the cylinders wiped down (manually. Guys literally climbing into the engines to wipe them down) and they didn’t want security in port. I never knew there were so many security companies, with guys from so many countries, doing that work. Most of them were doing it for far less than I was.

NO VESSEL WITH ARMED SECURITY ABOARD HAS EVER BEEN TAKEN. That statement makes the message of this whole video a joke. But I guess all those non-lethal methods are developed to give authorities a good feeling about harming the poor poor pirates who as we know are the real victims.

@@erikswanson6687 Thx so much for your answer! Can't get more expensive than ex-seals, and easy money on their part. Too bad they didn't let you get to land. Perhaps they were jealous of your luck with women All things will change though, and drones will invade both pirates and tankers if not already in action. May the somali coast be fruitful again and strangers punished for dumping toxins there and killing livelihoods, so these tragedies end. Brace for the likely hard changes if you are in US brother and keep the heart strong and in touch with God. Your heritage seems scandinavian, blessings from Norway!

thats what I was thinking... lmao imagine every cargo vessel with a 20 man crew manning 3 dual 30 mm cannons ... lol "why do you have guns ?" "incase a pirate shoots an RPG at us."

Lies! Everyone knows pirates could always get more and bigger cannons!

You'll find even a small coast guard ship has one gun on it... that fires on full auto and punches volleyball sized holes in boats.

They are commercial shippers not armadas.

@@ViceCoin I'm just saying bring back the good ole days of privateers and armed cargo vessels. They all use to have rows of cannons on board

Good idea... easy money, if you can find clients. However the corpos are too cheap to pay... and pretty soon you end up turning pirate yourself just to pay the bills :D

@@Balrog4242 piracy pays and no taxes😆

@@toml-oq1vw Congrats you are now the target of the closest nation's navy, Coast guard and the US navy. If you don't have a flag, you are considered a pirate and well nobody is going to object.

hmm what if they ran the water for the water guns through boilers ? heheheeh ;)

Hydrofluoric acid sends a more permanent message.

@@andrewthompson5728 sadly someone could cry about the environment and possible * harm to the ecosystem... Plus there's that thing called the Geneva convention... I think hot water would be easier to pass than acid lol

No, wont work. The pirates are already black.

Straight out of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'!

Foreign commercial fishing has over fished the waters off Africa, that is why these people have turned to piracy.

Same goes for all the would-be pirates once you kill just one single pirate. It automatically deters every other man from that point in time on. Piracy was solved when the English shot down a Viking. All other reports of piracy thereafter are just fake news.

Btw a very good video script

One fix would be to tell those countries that ships will no longer bring them goods, watch them change their mind quickly Everyone deserves the right to defend themselves.

​@@stultuses not gonna happen. If any company decides not to ship there because of that reason there's a hundred others that will gladly replace them. Funny you talk about rights, what about those countries right to make their own laws and rules? Those people have the right to self governance. You must be American. Always talking about YOUR rights and what YOU but you never want to stop and think about other people's rights or what others want. Most people on this planet don't want guns in their communities or in their country. Learn to respect their rights before talking before talking about "rights" because it this makes you look ignorant

​@@TargetFinder72 wanna see the other dude's response......lol

Or just you know not tell them you have them especially if those bigger cargo ships you can't tell me you can't find somewhere to hide them that they wouldn't find

this whole vid is just stupid. "they have sonar, radar, rocket launchers, machine guns, rifles and EVEN MOLOTOV COCKTAILS" like a bottle with gasoline and a rug is the most astounding thing on that list

So original. Gj.

@@Semirotta 🤣

Many Somali pirates are just unemployed fishermen looking for an easy opportunity. International commercial companies have over-fished the waters off east Africa leaving locals desperate to make a living. As long as they are detected in advance, it doesn't take much to deter them. Like home burglars, they look for the easiest targets.

no its not, he didnt mentioned the main reason why we dont have weapon on board. Main factor is being closed on vessel for 3 months and more. It is seriously psychological stress, imagine that you have multiple nations on vessel and a guy annoyed you due to cultural differences and that dude is carring a gun with himself.

@@RiczardGW It is still stupid. Don't use lethal firearm to stop pirates and the pirates will board you. Ever notice that Russian ships never get boarded by pirates? For the Russian crew to mess around and use lethal force.

@@11B30Inf i'm a navigator grauated with engineer degree with OOW diploma, i live on board for 6-7 months per year, have you ever been on board, or you are just delusional? russians never obliged to any laws and they live in their own group. There are designated places to hide if pirates ever embark. I wont reveal details but there is no reason to carry a gun

@@RiczardGW They've just been quietly hiring PMCs and pretending they aren't lately. Weapons are often transferred for holding to "armory ships" in international waters to prevent issues at port, then picked up again for the voyage in high-threat environments.

I ponder if said governments get kickbacks from these decisions.

A lot of what I’ve seen is ships will hire contractors that meet them at sea and will leave before the vessel makes port.

A large mirror can be used as a shield and will reflect the beam back to the sender. I think the water defenses are the best. All the defenses rely on detecting the pirates before they get close enough to board, though.

I agree let all sailors be safe

Multinational corporations would never put up with their loss of revenue. No way.

@@crankychris2 Well there is the loss of their cargo to consider.

Sure you would. That's why you never leave the cellar. The sun is laser enough to keep you inside.

There called q-ships there legality is questionable

@camp002 Pirates legality is also questionable 🤷‍♂️

@@camp002 Is this a war or not

@@camp002 Its legally questionable to use them in time of war; because of how they screw with cruiser rules. Pirates don't follow cruiser rules and are international criminals so there is no issue legally with tricking them.

100% chance of commenter being American

@@dubbbs Actually your wrong im Canadian, true north strong and free. But since you started the stereotype game, let me have a turn. 100% chance you vote left. You think Venezuela and Cuba collapsed mainly from American embargo's. And probably think socialism actually works,,it just "hasn't been implemented properly" 🤣 Have a good 2024👍👍

Most people don't realize they can sink a small boat with a water gun faster so they think it's inferior.

Well, enemies of the ten percent of mankind that was bringing the other ninety percent over in chains, anyway. And don't kid yourself the American colonists were also 90 percent 'indentured servants' from the prisons of London. But if, you know, you slipped your chain and stole a boat or god forbid some money or freed more people, then yeah they called you all kinds of names :D

@@Balrog4242 How does this reply even have anything to do with my post? And it doesn't even really make a lot of sense. Many people who came to the colonies were indentured servants (outlawed by the 13th Amendment along with chattel slavery) but not 90% by any means, no. Your "statistics" are distorted and exaggerated. With very few exceptions, pirates were brutal, violent, and despicably cruel. Indeed, the enemies of all mankind.

My experience with cops has only been good. But I happen to rather side with victims because I don't commit crimes. Instead I work and pay my taxes. It is cheaper and more predictable for me to pay the police than to allow criminals to take whatever they may wish to take. Try it, you'll see.

Good day

Seriously. The arguments in this video against using guns for self defense against pirates are utterly nonsensical.

Maybe? Think before you write. If you're trading with South Africa, how do you expect them to protect a VAST ocean? Ever heard of somali pirates? Even if they don't trade with Somalia, the pirates can still raid the ships passing BY

@@Minkses How do i expect for the surrounding area of a country to enforce its own law? o gee i wonder Also, then don't pass by!~ "Think before write"? Never!!

Some countries like Malaysia have spent a lot of money on anti piracy efforts and stopped a LOT of pirates. However. They get almost nothing back for this money it's pretty much just gone, they put a lot of small time Indonesians in prison but there are instantly more because pirates are created by poverty, and when they make the mistake of arresting triads it gets... complicated.

Almost the entirety of South Africa's navy is dedicated to fighting pirates. We DO protect our waters, and EVERYONE ELSE'S WATERS TOO. Even armed corvettes, frigates, gunships, and aircraft are not enough to protect every single one of the MILLIONS of ships that pass through our country, and ALL SURROUNDING COUNTRIES, every year. Pirates do not care about whether the zone has laws, or military. They sparsely care if you're armed. They live dangerous lives, where risk is just another factor to getting through their day, and they're looking for the cheapest way to do it. It's almost impossible to get from East to West of the world without passing through South Africa. There's a good reason why the Portugeuse, the Dutch, and the British established ports in South Africa, over the course of hundreds of years. Because the resupply is necessary to get from there to Asia. You can't just "don't pass by!" your way through life. THINK before you write. Or maybe learn a little more about history, and geography!

Wow you're right.

wrong

Actually thats Lrads & Americans use iron their own civilians for crown control.

not really, microwave weapons are well known and do not cause the "havana syndrome"

Oh and one more thing... keep in mind there are oil tankers out there with almost no crew. That's tens of millions of dollars just waiting for somebody to pull up a bunch of other boats and suck it out. But ONLY if nobody sounds the alarm.