1830 Napoleon Saber, Steel Scabbard
Pirates
like the ones in the movies don’t exist anymore. I am not
sure they
ever did. Even if Hollywood depicts pirates as having a brave
and romantic lifestyle as in Pirates of the Caribbean
, the facts
are they were ruthless and cared very
little about their victims. Modern day pirates are the same
today they
just have
high tech equipment and faster
boats...
There are many varieties of modern day pirates. If they are poor, they scamper on to boats or ships anchored or moored in the night and take whatever is not tied down and then hurry off. They carry knives and or small guns and don’t want to be confronted and will hurt you if you try to stop them. If they are rich, then that’s where the story changes. They will board boats or ships at night also but they are looking at larger vessels. The modern day rich pirates have high speed boats, AK-47 machine guns, hand held rocket launchers, and GPS systems. They will kill anyone who gets in their way. Pirate or terrorist? There is fine line between the two and I think sometimes they work together. John Burnett tells his story of terror with pirates in his book Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas
. Order yours today! This is a must read!
Pirates have been around since the beginning of recorded history because usually economic hardships in different parts of the world force people into the pirate lifestyle. They see it as the only way to feed their families or themselves, they can be forced into it by slave traders, or they see it as fast money. Piracy on the water is very similar to organized crime in my opinion and seems to have developed in much the same ways. Follow the money trail and you will find this kind of thing happening throughout history.
Modern day pirates are much more sophisticated and sometimes appear to have military training. They are paid by governments or anti-government groups. Terrorists don’t seem to be motivated by money as the pirates are. It seems to be more political or religious for a terrorist. To me their methods are the same. They take what they want, they terrorize people, they kill, rape and murder so I wouldn’t stop to ask these people which they were, a terrorist or a pirate.
Pirates Pretending to be Harmless Passengers Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Modern day pirates are after the ship itself, its cargo, or even the crew so they can get a large ransom. Whatever they take they sell to make money. Today, even cruise ships are a target for the modern day pirate or terrorist. In March of 2005 the Carnival Cruise ship, Seaborn Spirit, was nearly hijacked off the eastern coast of Africa. Due to the quick thinking and navigation skills of the crew, the pirates were unsuccessful. This cruise ship also had a parabolic audio device that sounded a sonic, ear splitting sound and the terrorists left. Today all ships have to be armed and it doesn’t matter if they are large, small, a pleasure craft or working vessel.
It is too bad but some waterways in the world are not safe for boaters. Here are some coastlines and waterways from several sources where piracy is reportedly the most active. Indonesia is said to be the worst. The Malacca Straits between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra is where 1/5 of the worlds trade passes through, and 1/3 of the worlds oil passes through because it is the shortest route to the countries of Asia. The waters of the Red Sea, Nigeria, Guyana, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, South China Sea, Iraq, Ecuador, Cuba and the Northeast Coast of South America are active with pirates and the incidences are increasing every day. The safest waters are Hawaii, Alaska and the Caribbean. Below is a picture of the Caribbean Sea. Even though the northeast coast of South America is mentioned, the Caribbean Sea is still fairly safe. The US Coast Guard and the Royal Navy have done a great job of nearly completely stopping the pirates in these waters and along the US eastern and pacific coasts. The other places mentioned here are where maritime security is weak. In these waters, piracy has long prevailed. There are so many islands to hide behind, inlets and rivers to get lost in and mangroves to anchor in that it is a dream come true for terrorists or pirates and a nightmare for security forces to guard and keep watch over.
Here are some tips for traveling in these waters if you must. Do not anchor in these waters or any waterways known to be unsafe. Double the watch day or night when underway or at anchor. Report any incident as soon as possible. Lock you vessel at all times.
Travel at full
speed and do not slow down for anyone or anything. If
pirates come aboard give them what they want and stay calm. There is
nothing material worth giving your life for. Modern day
pirates are very creative and tricky so stay alert.
September 11, 2001 was a date that has changed our world. Terrorism is a worldwide threat to everyone’s security. Modern day pirates will attack a pleasure yacht, a cruise ship, an oil tanker, or a fishing boat with no boat being off limits. Report any suspicious behavior on your waterway here in the US at once to the Coast Guard. Find out where to report any suspicious behavior in every country you visit. In this way you can help stop modern day pirates.
There are many varieties of modern day pirates. If they are poor, they scamper on to boats or ships anchored or moored in the night and take whatever is not tied down and then hurry off. They carry knives and or small guns and don’t want to be confronted and will hurt you if you try to stop them. If they are rich, then that’s where the story changes. They will board boats or ships at night also but they are looking at larger vessels. The modern day rich pirates have high speed boats, AK-47 machine guns, hand held rocket launchers, and GPS systems. They will kill anyone who gets in their way. Pirate or terrorist? There is fine line between the two and I think sometimes they work together. John Burnett tells his story of terror with pirates in his book Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas
. Order yours today! This is a must read!Pirates have been around since the beginning of recorded history because usually economic hardships in different parts of the world force people into the pirate lifestyle. They see it as the only way to feed their families or themselves, they can be forced into it by slave traders, or they see it as fast money. Piracy on the water is very similar to organized crime in my opinion and seems to have developed in much the same ways. Follow the money trail and you will find this kind of thing happening throughout history.
Modern day pirates are much more sophisticated and sometimes appear to have military training. They are paid by governments or anti-government groups. Terrorists don’t seem to be motivated by money as the pirates are. It seems to be more political or religious for a terrorist. To me their methods are the same. They take what they want, they terrorize people, they kill, rape and murder so I wouldn’t stop to ask these people which they were, a terrorist or a pirate.
Pirates Pretending to be Harmless Passengers Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Modern day pirates are after the ship itself, its cargo, or even the crew so they can get a large ransom. Whatever they take they sell to make money. Today, even cruise ships are a target for the modern day pirate or terrorist. In March of 2005 the Carnival Cruise ship, Seaborn Spirit, was nearly hijacked off the eastern coast of Africa. Due to the quick thinking and navigation skills of the crew, the pirates were unsuccessful. This cruise ship also had a parabolic audio device that sounded a sonic, ear splitting sound and the terrorists left. Today all ships have to be armed and it doesn’t matter if they are large, small, a pleasure craft or working vessel.
It is too bad but some waterways in the world are not safe for boaters. Here are some coastlines and waterways from several sources where piracy is reportedly the most active. Indonesia is said to be the worst. The Malacca Straits between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra is where 1/5 of the worlds trade passes through, and 1/3 of the worlds oil passes through because it is the shortest route to the countries of Asia. The waters of the Red Sea, Nigeria, Guyana, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, South China Sea, Iraq, Ecuador, Cuba and the Northeast Coast of South America are active with pirates and the incidences are increasing every day. The safest waters are Hawaii, Alaska and the Caribbean. Below is a picture of the Caribbean Sea. Even though the northeast coast of South America is mentioned, the Caribbean Sea is still fairly safe. The US Coast Guard and the Royal Navy have done a great job of nearly completely stopping the pirates in these waters and along the US eastern and pacific coasts. The other places mentioned here are where maritime security is weak. In these waters, piracy has long prevailed. There are so many islands to hide behind, inlets and rivers to get lost in and mangroves to anchor in that it is a dream come true for terrorists or pirates and a nightmare for security forces to guard and keep watch over.
Here are some tips for traveling in these waters if you must. Do not anchor in these waters or any waterways known to be unsafe. Double the watch day or night when underway or at anchor. Report any incident as soon as possible. Lock you vessel at all times.
September 11, 2001 was a date that has changed our world. Terrorism is a worldwide threat to everyone’s security. Modern day pirates will attack a pleasure yacht, a cruise ship, an oil tanker, or a fishing boat with no boat being off limits. Report any suspicious behavior on your waterway here in the US at once to the Coast Guard. Find out where to report any suspicious behavior in every country you visit. In this way you can help stop modern day pirates.
