See? All it took: a few guys with guns to deal with a few guys with guns.

Originally Posted by BritinAfrica

Cruise ship fights off pirates
26/04/2009 13:41 - (SA)

Rome - An Italian cruise ship was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia late on Saturday but managed to escape and no one was hurt, its captain told Italy's ANSA news agency.
The Melody got away from the six Kalashnikov-armed pirates aboard a light speedboat after security men on board returned fire, Captain Ciro Pinto told the agency. The cruise ship headed for the Jordanian port of Aqaba.
The incident occurred at 19:35 on Saturday as the Melody, owned by Italian company MSC, was returning to Italy after the winter cruise season. On board were 991 passengers and 536 crew.
Attacks on commercial vessels are far more common than on cruise ships in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia.
The 75m Italian tug Buccaneer with 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian on board, was captured on April 11 in the Gulf of Aden.
Ransom-hunting pirates off lawless Somalia - without an effective central government since 1991 - have defied an increased international naval presence to step up attacks during favourable weather, seizing at least a dozen ships in April alone.
The US Fifth Fleet announced on Friday it is transferring command of the counter-piracy international naval force CTF 151 to the Turkish Navy on May 3.
CTF 151 was established in January this year to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Somali pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, an increase of more than 200% on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy.
Heavily armed pirates operate high-powered speed boats and sometimes hold ships for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or ship owners.
More than 150 suspected pirates were arrested by naval patrols in the Gulf in 2008.
CTF 151 is one of four international naval forces operating in the region. The others are the European Union's "EUNAVFOR Atalanta," NATO's Standing Naval Maritime Group One and French-commanded Combined Task Force 150.
Attacks increased tenfold in the first three months of 2009 compared to the same period last year

Imagine that shoot back they run like the cowards they are.

Shoot the sod

From the information I have received, those who shot back were an Israeli security team ,who shot at the pirates using handguns as they were trying to climb on board.

According to all accounts, the pirates fled for their lives.

Originally Posted by BritinAfrica

From the information I have received, those who shot back were an Israeli security team ,who shot at the pirates using handguns as they were trying to climb on board.

According to all accounts, the pirates fled for their lives.

Not a good idea to climb onboard a naval vessle that is armed, unless your invited

But did they have the right to protect themselves with the current ROE,s?
What will the UN say about this?
Howcome they didn´t sink their own boat?

All registered concerns during this thread...


What do you know, violence DID work..

Just waiting for the answers KJ.

From what I gather the Israelis were a employed as a rivate security team. Weapons were secured under the control of the ships captain and the team leader. I'm not too sure about their ROE, but I don't thinks anyone will fuss if it saves a hostage situation and what will the pirates do - sue?

if they did, they'd probably win.

Now all they need is a couple 50 Cals or even GPMG's, one fore and one aft, with riflemen spread about, and perhaps the pirates will get the idea that its time to change occupations.

As for the UN, they are nothing more then paper tigers.

I hope more shipping lines follow suit.