Britney Spears' music repels Somali Pirates

Britney Spears' music - songs like "Hit Me Baby One More Time" and "Oops I Did it Again" are effective weapons when aimed at Somali Pirates who reportedly hate her music.

The Mirror (UK) reports that Rachel Owens, 34, a merchant navy officer on huge super tankers off the east coast of Africa says music is a really effective way of deterring the pirates and their high-speed skiffs: “Her songs have been chosen by the security team accompanying our tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most. These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.”

Owens adds, “The speakers can be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew. They’re so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns - as soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can.”

Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, said the US police and military were the first to use music to deter potential raiders. Subsequently, the tactic was adopted by cruise ships and merchant navy vessels to scare off pirates. “I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention,” Jones said. “Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music, even using earplugs.”