How are Mariners to Protect Themselves Against Piracy? Part 5

Non-lethal technologies: These are devices designed to incapacitate but not kill or cause great bodily harm. The LRAD projects a15-30 degree wide beam of high decibel (140 dB) noise with a range of up to 500 meters. Cost is $20,000—$30,000. The device is intended to be used only in short bursts as exposure can cause permanent hearing damage.

The results are mixed: In the 2005 attack on the cruise ship Seabourne Spirit, LRAD was used against pirates firing AK-47s and RPGs. While the pirates fled, it is unclear what role, if any, the device played in forcing the pirates to abandon the fight; the ship also deployed other countermeasures. The LRAD operator was injured during the attack. In the aforementioned case of the Biscaglia, that LRAD operator gave up when the pirates fired upon him with automatic weapons and RPGs.
 
One anonymous U.S. flag car carrier claims that one of their vessels used the device successfully against a pirate attack in the Bab el Mandab at the south end of the Red Sea. The company claims that the LRAD drove the attacking craft away and toward another ship. “It’s something we’d rather not advertise,” says a company spokesman.

The type of vessel would make a difference. For example, it would be impractical on the deck of a low freeboard tanker, close to the line of fire. On the bridge of a car carrier, however, close to 100’ above the water, the operator has much better positioning out of the line of fire.

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