Tying Pirates in knots

[Bruce Nunnally]

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/milit...1000091.article

A ship-borne launching device that fires a rope-based barrier into the path of pirate vessels is being marketed at commercial ships at risk from such attacks.

The Buccaneer, from BCB International, uses compressed air to fire a plastic cylinder containing either a coiled rope or net up to a range of 400m.

The coiled line of net or rope, which has a parachute attached to the end, will unravel and lay out across the surface of the water. As a pirate boat travels through the water its propeller shaft will pick up the line and become entangled.

Jonathan Delf, marine sales manager of BCB International, said that an attacking boat quickly becomes immobilised.

[KHE]

Interesting concept. Seems like the pirate's "mother ships" could be located with a spy satellite. The navy could then torpedo the "mother ship". What are the pirates going to do then besides become shark food? They'd be 400 miles off shore with a small outboard and not enough fuel to make it back to shore.

[Bruce Nunnally]

Lots of miscellaneous ships in the vicinity that could be motherships I bet. Harder to recognize supply ship for people who are used to working with nothing.

The merchants tend to have minimum crews, and they are not trained in ship defense.

But I agree this is really a wide area surveillance and identification problem. Watch, follow the bad actors back to where they came from, and eliminate the source.