Forget those pirate movies where the good guys shoot the bad guys with guns and cannons. All you need is a little Britney Spears to keep those water traveling bandits away.
It’s true. Ships fighting to keep pirates away as they sail through the Horn of Africa are blasting the pop star’s tunes to keep them away. And it works.
As the Mirror UK reports:
Second Officer Rachel from Aberfoyle in Scotland said: “Her songs have been chosen by the security team accompanying our tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most.
“These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.”
Turns out the most effective of Brit-Brit’s tunes are her earlier hits Baby Hit Me One More Time and Oops I Did It Again.
The kidnapping of crews by pirates is a lucrative business as they demand multi-millions in ransom for the safe release of the hostages and their ships.
Since 2011, 76 kidnappings out of 176 have been successful and authorities want to see this number reduced drastically. It seems blasting the tunes of Britney Spears keeps these Somali pirates away.
The music is played as a second line of defense by the security ship that follows the vessels carrying the cargo. First the pirates are warned to stop approaching, then they are hit with a solid dose of Britney Spears.
“The speakers can be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew.” explains Rachel.
“They’re so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns – as soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can.”
The tactic was first employed by the US Marines and then adopted by security teams from other countries to protect ships carrying cargo as well as cruise ships. And don’t worry, Britney Spears isn’t the only pop star who’s vocals scare pirates away. Apparently Justin Bieber is another great choice and each crew picks their own musical weapon. [ Source]
