“It’s Britney, bitch.”
Somali pirates are capable of unspeakably depraved acts, but even the most hardened warrior is no match for the power of pop.
To battle the scurvy knaves along the east coast of Africa, the British navy has turned to blasting Britney’s hits as loud as possible. Rachel Owens, a merchant naval officer, explained to Metro that Britney’s songs “were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most. These guys can’t stand western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect. As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can. It’s so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns”
The tactic has been the most successful strategy employed thus far. The constant threat to ships in the region has been exacerbated by years of unrest in Somalia. Hundreds of young men in the devastated southern region of Somalia have turned to piracy as a way to make millions by ransoming off captive crew members and ships.
Anti-piracy efforts, including blasting Britney, has led to a dramatic decrease of hijackings in the area. In 2011, 151 ships were attacked while 25 were successfully hijacked. As of December 2013, that number dropped to nine ships being attacked, with no successful hijackings.
[about_faith]
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