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:Browning M2 - Accept No Substitutes

[drinkypoo]

Further more, how many .50 machine gun stations do you need to cover a ship that is 300 metres long

Two. You can turn the bow towards someone ahead of you; otherwise piracy is likely to involve a stern chase, that is if you're competent and have already decided that they are coming for you.

Turning a bulk carrier will take several minutes especially if the vessel is already going at a good clip

It only has to make a few points to clear obstructions to bring at least one gun to bear if the firing nests are at the bow and stern.

Except the legal difficulties of allowing armed vessels into port or the logistical difficulties of ensuring every merchant vessel in that area is armed or the cost of ensuring that each merchant sailor is capable of operating and caring for a firearm or the risk that untrained and undisciplined merchant sailors will freeze up when they come under rocket or AK 47 fire or pirates will learn to co-ordinate their attacks and outnumber the merchantmen.

That's the real reason this is unworkable, yes. The technical problems are as nothing. The guns are the cheapest part of the equation, so you can have four guns and not have to turn the ship to shoot someone, ever.

The best solution is to stop paying them, but who would go along with a crazy idea like that.

The best solution is to create a world in which people don't feel they have to resort to piracy to be happy, but that would involve actually solving problems in the world instead of viewing a problem as a chance to make some profit off of someone's suffering, as the arbitrators &c are doing.