INDIAN OCEAN - NOVEMBER 17: (EDITORS NOTE: IMAGE RELEASED BY U.S. MILITARY) In this handout image supplied by the US Navy, Pirates hold the crew of the Chinese fishing vessel FV Tian Yu 8 guard their hostages on November 17, 2008 as the ship passes through the Indian Ocean. The ship was attacked November 16 in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility and forced to proceed to an anchorage off the Somali coast. A Saudi oil tanker has also been hijacked in the Indian Ocean and is believed to have anchored off the coast of Somalia. U.S. Navy / Getty ImagesFrom MSNBC:
Vast waters, danger of military response make ship hijackings hard to deter
CAIRO, Egypt - It seems inconceivable: How can Somali pirates in speedboats foil warships from the world's most powerful navies in order to prey on shipping lanes crucial to the oil supply? The short answer — it's a big ocean and no one wants to be top cop.
NATO and the U.S. Navy say they can't cover everywhere, and American officials are urging ships to buy private security. Warships patrolling off Somalia have succeeded in stopping some pirate attacks as they happen. But outright military assaults to wrest free a ship are highly risky.
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