Following the news of MOL's recent anti-piracy drill onboard the training ship Spirit of MOL, a South Africa-based industry analyst has come up with a suggestion that would help to identify pirates after an attack or attempted hijack. Sharon Gill reports ...
As part of the drill, MOL's crew sprayed water to prevent pirates from boarding the vessel.
"Why not spray them with dye?" asks Pieter Rheeders, an analyst for Transnet Port Terminals at the Dry Bulk Terminal in Richards Bay.
He points out that cash in transit is accompanied by dye in sealed canisters, which explode if the cash boxes are opened by anyone other than an authorised person. The dye colours the money permanently (making it unusable) and the idea is that it will also land on the criminals to enable later identification.
"I reckon it could work in the case of pirates as well," says Rheeders. "If the dye was sprayed over them, it would identify them and their boats. If a fluorescent dye was used, the pirates and their boats could be spotted at night."
Brilliant in its simplicity ... as long as the crew stays upwind to avoid getting caught in the spray.
Personally, I love the idea of navy ships cruising at night taking pot shots at little glowing targets ...
