Somali Pirates: Armed Guards on Merchants

Armed Guards Used to Combat Piracy on Ships, Lloyd’s List Says:

Having armed guards on board means ships don’t need to speed up and don’t need to deviate away from pirate-infested waters, lowering fuel costs, the newspaper reported. So far, no vessel with armed guards on board has been successfully seized, it reported.

Based on a $6 million ransom, the total cost of having a large vessel hijacked is as much as $25 million once lost earnings are taken into account, the newspaper said.

Go figure.

Of course, that's before the lawsuits begin.