Pirates thwarted with MP3 sonic blast

November 21, 2008

Somali pirates who seized a Ukrainian cargo ship return to their base in October 2008. British firm 'Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions' is spearheading the use of a high-tech "sonic laser" to beat pirates on the high seas. APMSS has developed an acoustic device which blast the target with a precise beam of sound which can be turned up to excruciatingly painful level.

Gone are the swashbuckling days of repelling pirates with cutlasses -- a British firm is spearheading use of a high-tech "sonic laser" to beat bandits on the high seas.

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• gmurphy - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 4.3 / 5 (6)
  yeah, hopefully the pirates won't make the technological leap towards ear plugs
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• Roach - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
  Ear plugs are kind of limited, I'm guessing this isn't just a loud stereo. at about 150 decibles it matters less what you have over your ears short of a soundproof room.
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• hudres - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 3.4 / 5 (5)
  Similarly high sound levels are routinely encountered and dealt with effectively during MRI procedures. Double ear plugs and sound resisting headphones do the trick quite nicely (unfortunately). I prefer the use of automatic weapons to eliminate the threat rather than discourage it and leave a residual threat which comes back another time. If the pirates see that going out gets them killed, much of the incentive to desist is lost. Lesser measures are a waste of time.
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• tkjtkj - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (1)
  This device is old news .. perhaps 2
  2 or more years ago a cruise ship
  used a similar thing , also with
  success, per newspaper articles.
  
  Its interesting that the operators
  of the device can identify the
  attackers' 'native language' from
  600 meters away .. mmmm...
  Esperanto, perhaps??
  
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• h1ghj3sus - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (3)
  Why don't they invest in desalination and agriculture in the region. That way, there is no need for pirating. Eliminate the source of the problem.
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• fuchikoma - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (1)
  Is the MP3 part just to make an interesting story? The panels I've seen have their own tones for area denial use... not that you couldn't also play music or announcements through them since they're basically special flat panel speakers.
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• THEY - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
  h1ghj3sus, do you not know how much $$ pirates make?
  
  I prefer the method the Indians used a few days ago. Far more effective. Once a pirates hearing is damaged/gone, LRAD probably won't be very effective. I imagine they could find men that would live with being deaf to pirate millions of dollars.
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• Honor - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
  i bet they blast mp3s they downloaded with the help of the pirate bay torrent tracker
  *snicker*
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• Ant - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 2.5 / 5 (2)
  my neighbors could be usefull they annoy me with jungle music to the state where I have to complain.
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• Flakk - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 3.8 / 5 (4)

  Why don't they invest in desalination and agriculture in the region. That way, there is no need for pirating. Eliminate the source of the problem.

  
  
  Piracy is more profitable than agriculture. People don't always commit crimes because there is no opertinity. More often than not the dishonest professions make more cash than the honest ones.
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• wawadave - Nov 21, 2008
  • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
  perhaps they are using the mp3,s that the riaa realest that have very loud but inaudible sound designed to cause hearing damage and agitation listening to those mp3,s.
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• paulthebassguy - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (1)
  why don't they just get guns
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• Minnaloushe - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  Ear plugs won't work against a mini-gun
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• bmcghie - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 4.7 / 5 (3)
  Forget LRAD... A couple RPG rounds and you wouldn't be seeing the pirates again soon. Unless you're in the shrapnel zone.
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• TJ_alberta - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (2)
  a 50 mm machine gun might be less expensive and the noise would not be as annoying to dolphins and whales.
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• superhuman - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  It only makes them attack different ships.
  They need to be eliminated.
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• Bob_Kob - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 3.7 / 5 (3)
  They might as well have a self destruct on the ship. If they take the ship, it blows up. Take that pirates! yarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
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• GrayMouser - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: not rated yet

  They might as well have a self destruct on the ship. If they take the ship, it blows up. Take that pirates! yarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

  
  
  Illegal under international law.
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• Doug_Loss - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
  So is piracy. The Indians had it right. Sink the pirates, end of problem.
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• Mercury_01 - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (2)
  So there really is a brown noise!
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• Sirussinder - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (1)
  so in the dark of night your going to wheel this contraption out, on a wavy deck. load up your music...point it, warn them...lol
  
  I think shooting a automatic gun roughly in their direction as a warning would probably be more effective and faster...
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• jbeekman - Nov 22, 2008
  • Rank: 4.5 / 5 (2)
  Play some Yanni over that contraption. THAT'D get any self-respecting pirate an entire time-zone away!
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• xen_uno - Nov 23, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  At 150 decibels, flac files should sound better than the best mp3 (lame @ CBR 320). I agree though ... shoot the bastards.
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• CreepyD - Nov 23, 2008
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  From what I've seen of these weapons, it can affect your whole body, not just your ears.
  I think if loud enough, your whole body feels like it's in agony.
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• GrayMouser - Nov 24, 2008
  • Rank: not rated yet

  From what I've seen of these weapons, it can affect your whole body, not just your ears.
  I think if loud enough, your whole body feels like it's in agony.

  
  
  A couple of problems:
  1) The range is 1000 meters. This puts the target within range of medium weight infantry weapons (much less naval) and even some light weight missiles.
  2) Sound at these levels can and do cause physical damage given long enough exposure. The first thing exposure to loud noise tends to do is make you emotionally unstable, angry in other words. If it doesn't drive you off your going to do nasty things to the people on the ship you take.
  3) If some ships using this system suffer from massacres what will other ship owners/crew do?
  4) It's a touchy-feely solution. Arming the ships with real weapons (even if international law says 'no') and increasing the patrolling of those waters will make the job less inviting to those eager for easy money.
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• GIR - Nov 24, 2008
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  Hire a sniper. If you want a non-lethal solution then the sniper could take out the off-board motors. Stay ouit of range of the AK47s.
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