Air Cannon Ties Pirates In Knots

Hugh Pickens writes "Numerous high-tech devices have been proposed to help ships cope with piracy on the high seas. Now a company has developed a ship-borne launching device that fires a net or coiled rope into the path of pirate vessels using compressed air with a range of up to a range of 400m. The payload net or rope, which has a parachute attached to the end, will unravel and lay out across the surface of the water so that as the pirate boat travels through the water its propeller shaft will pick up the line and become entangled. 'With the trials and testing we've done, it has taken us some 45 minutes to cut and disentangle the line from the propeller itself,' says Jonathan Delf. 'Within that time of course, the target ship is on its way and hopefully help has arrived in the form of naval forces or helicopter support.' The system can be fired up to five times off just a cylinder of air like a simple scuba tank." The video mentions that the device can also fire a payload of golf balls. The systems have recently been sold to "several large shipping companies that travel near the oil-rich Nigerian Delta, which, like the Somalian coast, is rife with piracy."

Comments

Re:Pro-tip: Shoot them dead.

[dr2chase]

Before you attempt to kill them, you have to be certain that they are a pirate. Legally certain, not just Slashdot certain.

Fouling their prop doesn't require quite such a high standard of proof, and gets the job done, at least till they get their hands on some jet boats.

It's also not too smart for a pirate to escalate from a small disabled boat -- if someone on that ship had some means of firing back, that could only be deployed against proven pirates, well, you just gave them proof.

I'm not usually the voice of the tree-huggers....

[jda104]

But fishing line is a big problem in protecting marine animals; it seems like intentionally stranding hundreds of yards of the stuff might have some negative impacts on the surrounding aquatic life.

Re:Wont do much good...

[mjwx]

You foul their props at 400m, they'll punch a hole in the side of your cargo vessel with an RPG at 400m easy as pie

Considering that the RPG7 (very high tech for a Somali pirate) is not considered accurate after 100 metres, sure. Most of them will have the older Soviet rocket launchers (read: Ancient (Vietnam era) and made by the Chinese before they had today's high standards in manufacturing (hint: that's sarcasm)).