Why cant the governments in the ships owners countries send a trained team of military with rpg on board ships taking risky routes etc to fight of pirates. A lot of pirates wouldnt need to die or be sunk before they learnt their lesson.

Alan , Chelmsford, United Kingdom

I thought the UK and USA were supposed to have naval forces? Who did you send down there, the Girl Scouts?

John, Auckland, NZ

I think the pirates will soon find they have made a huge mistake and will pay the price. But the UK, US or any other Western Government must not take it on themselves to 'solve' the problem. They should let Islamic ones do it because Somalia is an Islamic country - and one with other major problems.

Bill H, Kent, England

Why can't the Royal Navy blockade this port? or simply fire a cruise missile at it?

Chris, Rochdale, UK

That's right Ed, Atlanta, they are guided by higher principles than greed. These are hardly Greenpeace activities - they have weapons, they are using them and they ought to be stopped.

Catherine, Atlanta, USA

Cruise lines successfuly addressed this problem some years ago by installing very high powered sonic transducers on each of their vessels that could possibly be attacked by pirates, Noise to the extreme pain level was an very effective deterrent - how many cruise ships have been hijacked recently ?

Geoffw, Oxnard, California, USA

Never mind the Navy Seals, everyone onboard is at risk. =/
Just give the job to the SBS and they will only take out the pirates!

Jim, calgary, Canada

Shippers must begin to crew their ships with adequate security personnel. It is a travesty that $100 million worth of cargo is sent past a piracy hotspot without adequate protection. A couple of dozen security personnel and some shoulder mounted rockets would surely do the trick.

Bob, New York, USA

Are the pirates smokers, by any chance?

(Or am I the only one who remembers Waterworld?)

Neil, Jakarta,

The only thing that will eradicate piracy is to destroy the base of operations which would mean the coastal towns and boats that are used by the pirates. This would mean civilian casualties as the infrastructure that supports the pirates is civil rather than military. Convoys won't work...too slow.

Ed, Whittier, U.S.A.

Does anyone know how much the pirates are selling the crude for? If it is any lower than the legalised pirates such as BP and Halliburton are taking us for, well done pirates. Raaooulll to you guys! FREEDOM :))

Jock McNight, Edinburgh, Scotland

Royal Marines and, as the gentlemen from Cornwall refered to them, "the men in black", are patrolling farther North.
The Special Boat Squadron's primary role is the protection and recapture of oil installations. The problem is that they cannot be everywhere at once.

Rob (ex Royal Navy), Dunfermline, Scotland

A colleague in 1986/87 who was a retired Royal Marine told me that he was considering taking a post on-board merchant shipping as an armed escort. It paid very well apparently, & it was a little safer than being a mercenary on land. Are shipping co's not using these anymore due to cost?

Chris, Blandford Forum, GREAT BRITAIN

This is just ridiculous!! Here we are paying for the fraudulent scheme called 'the war on terror' which are going on in countries which WE have invaded, and there are these pirates who have become SO brave that they can take over GIGANTIC ships!!

Ambrus Faust, Airdrie, Canada

Is this suprising?Fossil fuels& nuclear are not only unsustainable+running out they are v.dangerous&create world wars. Sustainables should have been invested in many decades ago&have always been viable, but quick bucks from 3rd world tempted.Build&or invest in better fuels, costs less in many ways

Johnny M, Nottingham, UK

i wonder if the pirates will drive it up the Suez (even though it's too narrow) and turn it across to block the shipping route. Then we would have a showdown with the pirates. It shocks me that pirates in ramshackle boats can take freight ships, its crazy!!

sammy d, London, England

Presumably these vastly wealtyh shipping magnates are too tight to hire a compliment of mercenary marines to protect their ships; instead excpeting the UN to bail them out. Seriously people, how much would it cost to put armed security staff on your ships? No sympathy whatsoever ..!

Chris, Nottingham,

For too long now foreign ships have raped somalia maritime resources. They plundered everything. As if that were not enough foreign govts decided to help corrupt somalia govt and their warlord allies. Somalia has become lawless and the pirates have run amok.

yousef, Sheffield,

In this case, give this problem to the Navy Seals. After they clean up the mess maybe the United Nations can get off their dead butts and organize Naval Security. It would be nice to see the Worlds most powerful Navy's working together for a change for a common good. Dream on right>

Fred, Madeira Beach, Fl, USA

As it stands, it looks like piracy would be a pretty good investment, and with other markets flat or declining here is something that offers a healthy rate of return even during a world financial crisis. Maybe they should franchise their operation to the Caribean and American Eastern seaboard.

stuart munro, Seoul, Korea

Rome v. Carthage.

Done.

Steve, Pittsburgh, PA,

Is this suprising?Fossil fuels& nuclear are not only unsustainable+running out they are v.dangerous&create world wars. Sustainables should have been invested in many decades ago, has always been viable, but quick bucks from third world has led to this.Build& or invest in sustainable safe fuel.

Johnny M, Nottingham, UK

Why spend so much time and money chasing pirates. Send in some decoy ships armed to the teeth (hidden) and finish the job. Pirates would think twice about approaching any ship when they know they are at risk for assurred destruction.

Mike Ryan, Spokane, WA, USA

Warload funding or not, this idea of pirates should never be excused this thugs are affecting everyone ragrdless of what there governments have been thro. I know about the blame game therefore Zara try something else, and thanks Zara.

chris, Nakuru, Kenya

The solution is very simple; International lanes of traffic, patrolled by UN military war ships, with explicit instructions to protect the shipping lane.
If you approach a merchant ship in international waters anywhere near this hot zone, you will be engaged by the closest military vessel.

PJ Blake, Henderson, NV, USA

What is the hold up? Are these Nato ships out of ammunition?

Bob, Boston, USA

EU ships and other have been fishing illegally and dumping toxic for the last 10 years in the Somalia cost line ( the longest and richest in africa). They are simply taking ships and asking for ransom to pay for those illegals activities perpetrated by EU ships.

Ed, Atlanta,

If we take this seriously, the solution is not as complex as it seems. For the time being, the ships should be in daily "convoys", as in WWII, and have a military ship (with helicopters) with them. That, it seems is a good starting point, an immediate response.

Arthur, Baton Rouge, USA

I used to work in the merchant navy and pirate attacks are almost a daily occurance, especially in the singapore straights. This hieghtens the awareness of the damage that pirates can do and they are still very active, and not the romantic image portrayed in films. They carry AK47' s and will kill.

mark rumbold, gosport, UK

Maybe we should think about hiring the Iranian Navy. They seem to have the guts to take on the pirates and the last I heard they they were doing a good job of patrolling their own waters...lol.

Ken Shaw, Magog, Canada

Isn't there something called a pre-emptive strike ?

And aren't there aeroplanes or helicopters with guns available ?

Richard Bruce, Cape Town, South Africa

Everyone know by now these pirates have found a profitable venture and are embolden to keep on capturing ships. If this town that is their stronghold were to be leveled to the ground then they just might discover the price is to high. History teaches that this is the only way to deal with Pirates.

Bob, Pensacola, U.S.A.

All these people who are making comments about a subject you have no idea about. Somalia and these pirates are in this situation because the US and the arabs are funding rival warlords that made the country lawless.If you want to get rid of the pirates tell your governments to stop funding warlords.

zara, leeds,

I would like to expand on Rajeev's point, its honest and has real value. Anyone checked out Finsbury Park recently?

Timothy Morgan-Wei, London,

steve byrne: If you believe that the pirates are fishermen who have been put out of business, you likely also believe that the Islamist terrorists are simply defending themselves against Western Imperialists instead of continuing a campaign since 632 AD for world domination. History shows otherwise

Wallace, Alexandria, Vigrinia, USA

Winston, are you serious? Don't you understand that Somalia is unstable BECAUSE OF such lawless men? Do you suppose they are going to take the money and use it to build schools? They'll use it to secure their own power.

Yes, create stability by funding a region's worst thugs. Sheer unreason!

Joshua Hugo, Bourbonnais, USA

There is no place in this world for pirates. Pirates won't help Somalia in any meaningful way. They
need to be eradicated. Maybe then progress can begin in Somalia although it will be a long and slow process if history is a guide.

Richard, Santa Paula, CA

Are pirates experienced in navigating a supertanker? What happens if they ground it and it starts breaking up and gushing oil all over the Gulf of Aden?

Zeke, Toronto, CA

Am I dreaming? We know where this ship is, along with several others taken, and the place is not a radioactive crater yet? Nothing says obedience like a nuclear detonation in a barrel of pig blood. Trillions in defense spending, only to watch cavemen hi-jack a 1000 foot ship and do nothing.

Dana, Tacoma, USA

I have heard on 2 separate occasions in the media that these men are fishermen by nature but their fishing grounds have been exhausted by outsiders. EU fishing vessels spring to mind.
They have therefore turned to piracy in the way of a career change in which case who can blame them.

Steve Byrne, christchurch, UK

Why shipping companies, ship owners, ship captains and crews -- not to mention every nation in the civilized world -- don't insist on armed escorts for the ships - escorts that will attack and kill these pirates -- is beyond me.

To think that we allow such pockets of barbarity in our modern world!

Liam, Baille nam muc-mhara,

What ever happen to the good old sword, musket, and head bandanna? What is the world coming to?

ramper, swarthmore, pa, usa

The best solution is to pay Captain Jack Sparrow to take care of this. Fight pirates with pirates.

Frank, Irving, TX, USA

I agree with Deb, Cambridge, USA .

The military could easily route these pirates in the span of a day. It's just another corporate ruse to raise gas prices again and, it seems, it 's working. People need to wake up to the real threats facing us.

Ed, Chicagoland, USA

Its a 20 billion dollar industry now days.... Piracy is alive and quite well. I'm no fan of Communist China, but they don't have this problem any more, had a rash of it... they killed all the pirates. no more problem.

Just the usual Job of a navy, any navy... suppress piracy. It wont go away, ever.

Doug, Morrison, CO, USA

Looks like a good place for Blackwater!

Gorgey Buche, Washington DC, usa

I think it is fantastic that an amateur group are able to take a 1000ft ship and hold it, I hope they get the oil as reward and maybe that can help Somali get closer to stability, who cares about Saudi losing a little cash, they have plenty.

Winston Black, London,

The British people are entitled to know why more then 100,000 Somalis have been admitted to this country under the guise of political asylum.Vast swathes of NorthWest London have been turned into Somali ghettos, many of whom have relatives and contacts with terrorists in Somalia.

Rajeev, London,

Fight pirates with private raiders. Think of the fun that could be had.

Steve, Glendale, AZ, USA

I work for this company as sailor and ashore; one on board is a long-time friend of mine.
With a cargo value of $110million then this is the biggest punt so far by these guys. Impunity? Theft was far away from the normal pirate area. Time for USA/UK again all others countries are pathetic.

mark, dubai, uae

This is AD 2008 for God`s sake !
Here we are being held to ransom by a ramshackle group of pirates.!
Isn`t this an ideal opportunity for the normally impotent and heavily subsidised United Nations to show their mettle and organise an attack and exterminate the scum. Once and for all.

Gurracutta, Barnston, England

now the policy of cutting back the navy will return to haunt those who championed it. the british navy used to be the greatest in the world.

peter yates, middleton, great britain

Doesn't "armed conflict" refer to hand to hand, marine-style fighting by the Navy rather than actual naval battles? I am not sure whether this happened in either Falklands or the Second World War though. Seems surprising that it didn't.

Tom, London,

pirates have declared war?in ww2 our merchant ships traveled in convoys with armed escorts and in addition the merchant ships were also armed.
if it is not possible to provide sufficient armed escorts at least the merchant ships themselves should be armed with phalanx guns or sea sparrow missiles.

yahn goodey, oromocto, canada

Typical European response to bullies....just go around and pay twice as much in freight costs. Here is an idea: lets convene the UN to study the problem. Better yet, lets just concede control of Gulf of Aden so that we can have peace again. pfffft

Albert, Culpeper, USA

Or Falklands?

John L, Bangkok, Thailand

JonB do you have living memory of WW2??? =)

BHall, Birmingham, AL, USA

How dare these dastardly fellows seize a ship with some of HM subjects on board. Send a warship to bring vengeance upon them and to let the World know that nobody dare mess with GREAT Britain.

Brian P O Cinneide, eThekwini, Afrika Borwa

good to see norway is taking such a strong stance against the pirates.

real kudos to the UK for taking these jerks to task instead of simply diverting your route.

jd, florida, USA

It is time Special Ops types are placed on random ships to make life a little uncertain for the pirates. Blackwater types would work too. When pirates and their boats are killed and sunk, activity will slow. Merchant ships are way too easy to board.

jon, austin, TX, USA

And how about the Fauklands

GMC, Woburn,

The world might do something now the pirates now have OIL

Wayne, Winnipeg, Canada

or the falklands ....... some people have short memories

Jim, Calgary, Canada

In our desire to become politically correct we someplace have lost our will to react to thugs. The insurance companies could put an end to this fast if they invested in escort by either Blackwater or other mercenary forces, who do not care about the press. A small contingent of 50 foot Magnums with Metal Storm on the front of the boat could protect and punish at the same time.

Jeff in Miami Beach, Miami Beach, USA

Send the Boys in Black in..... It's about time the Pirates started to understand more clearly the sort of risk associated with taking British and other nationals hostage.

Andrew M, Cornwall, UK

A master plan to increase the cost of oil! We all knew they would find a way.

Deb, Cambridge, USA

british navy can handle most any thing out there . if need be

j gartin, tn, U S A

When "Crime Pays" criminals will flock, just look at parliment and congress.

And JonB, "Living Memory" [sadly] no longer includes WWII for most people.

CosC, Oklahoma City, USA

play up pompey

alan deacon, surrey, uk

The solution is very simple. First - Gasoline and then Flare guns. The problem is that many times the pirates have women and children as human shields.

Paul, Sherman, USA

How can these companies transit this area without stationing armed patrols on port and starboard?
These are small time bandits who could be wiped out in a couple of skirmishes with a prepared vessel.

Dave, Miami, US

Blow ' em out of the water!

Archer, Seabrook, USA

Sink the pirates' "mother ships" which launched the speed boats for attacks on merchant ships far off coast, wonder why the western navy don't do that.

Yeo H.M., Singapore, Singapore

So no Belgrano then

foxy leverette, Colchester, UK

So it is a 'large ship' then?

Toby, Brackley, UK

I'm not up on recent British history, but aside from WW2, how about the Falklands War?

Dave, Sacramento, USA

I am flabbergasted that the nations of this world are unable to control this band of thugs. Pathetic.

Tom, Greensboro,NC, US

Time to arm Merchant ships again. They had the right idea in the 1700's fight back (and don't give me any crap about we can't fight back it's dangerous) Shoot the buggers they will leave you alone. pay them, and they will multiply.......

David Lever, Ottawa, Canada

"British Navy’s first fatal armed conflict on the high seas in living memory. "

Really? There weren't any in WW2?

JonB, Manchester, UK