By It would be interesting to see if the Korean shipping companies that keep getting attacked by Somali pirates would be interested in do this:
The growing threat of piracy off the coast of Africa has been highlighted recently by the seizure of a Ukrainian freighter filled with tanks and other weapons. The U.S. Navy has responded to this crisis, but with fewer than 300 ships, it lacks the resources to police pirate-infested waters consistently. Local governments are even more helpless, especially when the greatest danger is off the coast of Somalia, which doesn’t have a “government” in the accepted sense of the term, much less a navy.
What to do? The U.S. Navy has had grand hopes of mobilizing a “thousand ship navy” for such tasks made up of all the world’s maritime forces working together. But our European allies are downsizing their fleets so rapidly–the Royal Navy is reaching its lowest level since the 18th century–that this remains more a hope than a reality.
There may be no practical solution except to turn to the private sector. Enter Blackwater, which has had a flourishing, if controversial business: providing armed guards for the State Department in Iraq. It has also provided lots of training for various military commando units and police SWAT teams. Now it has purchased and refurbished a 183-foot cutter called the McArthur, which it is offering to rent out to shipping lines or governments interested in combating piracy. The company, run by former SEAL officer Erik Prince, could fill the ship with former SEALs who would no doubt make short work of the motley bandits who raid merchant shipping. [Max Boot - Commentary Magazine]
With all the millions of dollars Korea has paid to these pirates, it does make you wonder if issuing a “Letter of Marque” to Blackwater to round these guys up makes economic sense or not.
2:53 am on October 21st, 2008 1
The answer is simply…YES!
The cost of providing military escorts & response is nothing but staggering. A private security firm could do it at a fraction of the cost and with better results.
The real problem lays in how cheap the shipping companies are…they are afraid to lose a few pennies from their millions-billions amassed every year. The lives of their crew in reality mean very little to them.
5:43 pm on October 21st, 2008 2
^^
Thanks for commenting Mr. Prince.
1:11 pm on November 25th, 2008 3
Somalian Terror Organization Shabaab al Mujahideen Looks to 'Throw the West Into Hell'?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,457226,00.htm…
4:57 pm on April 14th, 2009 4
And what exactly is the difference between mercenaries
and pirates? Their paymaster? If you want an official paymaster, use the Navy or Coast Gaurd (and apologies to Mr Prince, the armed forces are much cheaper than overpayed psychos). If you recreate the privateer, you just head back to the golden age of piracy.
7:45 pm on April 14th, 2009 5
Umm the problem is that this isn't in American controlled / patrolled waters. And the US Navy can't send a military escort with every US merchant vessel destined for that region.
And no, the cost of having a US ship + crew there is whats staggering. Think millions of dollars, and opportunity cost because their not elsewhere doing a different mission. Where as 4-5 armed guards on the ship is 120,000 or so (Estimated). Its more of a deterrent then anything else, a pirate won't want to risk loosing men / equipment in a fight, when they can just go prey on other less armed ships. And eventually they'll start to run out of business.
As for the difference in pirates vs armed guards, its simple. Pirates have their own ship and ATTACK other vessels, guards stay on a merchant ship and DEFEND it if it comes under attack. How you you can confuse those two is beyond me.
10:26 pm on April 14th, 2009 6
The article mentioned '“Letter of Marque” to Blackwater'.
This is a far cry from 5 security guards per ship, this is sending them out as privateers, i.e., a mercenary navy. Now, when they shoot the wrong people, as has happened with mercenaries in Iraq (and probably anywhere), whose jurisdiction are these people under? The US has how many aircraft carriers and cruisers parked near Iran? Why not send them to do something useful? Now, if and when they shoot the wrong fishing boat, there is at least an address to send the angry letter.