With all the pirate attacks off Africa lately and the US ship just taken, why the hell don't the ships carry weapons? I read that the pirates are obviously heavily armed but they are in small boats and have to board with ladders propped up against the hull of the container ship. How tough would it be to shoot those bastards from up on the deck of the ship? They don't even carry weapons, they have to use water cannons! WTF? Wouldn't it be cheaper to hire on-board security forces with rocket launchers to fend off the pirates than just letting them on board then paying the ransom?
