The ultimate pirate weapon for yachts- the laser beam

by Sail-World Cruising on 17 Oct 2009 If you can afford it, there is a new anti-piracy measure out which will temporarily blind a troupe of pirates so badly it will render them helpless. It is military grade, and the latest security technology available to wealthy yacht owners afraid of pirate attacks.

The 'SeaLase' laser, similar to weapons used for crowd control in Iraq and Afghanistan by the U.S. military, has a range of four kilometers and becomes harder to look at the closer an attacker comes.

At a distance of one kilometre, attackers develop strong nausea and can no longer see, according to Lasersec Systems, the Finnish company that developed the lasers for commercial use.

'We don't have guns, so we need non-lethal systems to defend yachts,' Lasersec CEO Scott Buchter told a CNN reporter.

Buchter, who recently launched the $104,000 multi-colored laser at Monaco Yacht Show, says the loss of eyesight the laser inflicts is only temporary and that no permanent damage is inflicted.

Hi-tech military-grade security systems like SeaLase have become increasingly popular with superyacht owners looking to protect multi-millon dollar yachts on the open seas.

Pirate attacks on ships and yachts in dangerous waters like the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia -- the main maritime link between Europe and Asia have spawned the inventions.

Because law regarding the use of deadly force on ships is ambiguous in some countries and the transport of guns is illegal in most international waters -- yacht crews favor the use of non-lethal weapons for security. This has fueled the recent market boom for weapons like SeaLase, according to Buchter.