Foreign-flag shipowners are demanding a military blockade off the coast of Somalia by government-sponsored fleets like the US navy.

Considering the recent surge in piracy activity, this comes as no surprise, especially if you understand how shipowners think: privatize profits, socialize risk, dodge tax liabilities and responsibility for environmental catastrophes at every turn by flagging the ship in Liberia (or Panama or Mongolia or wherever).

In short, these foreign-flag shipowners might as well come out and say: "This would be a whole lot cheaper, at least for us, if taxpayers, somewhere, paid to protect our ships from pirates."

Financing a private security force—like, say, Blackwater Security—to escort privately-owned merchant vessels past Somalia seems necessary—and promises to be expensive. Clearly these foreign-flag shipowners have no intention of footing the bill.

They could, of course, re-flag their ship to the United States, in which case they'd enjoy all kinds of protections, but then they'd also be responsible for adhering to, say, the Jones Act, and they don't want to do that--because that would mean an end to exploiting crewmembers from the cheapest and most vulnerable segments of the world's population (Multi-Billionaire Micky Arison profits most off his ships in Miami, and he's still plucking crewmembers from Third World hellholes for one reason and one reason only: they're a thousand times cheaper than American sailors, and they're scared subservient).

The American taxpayer stands to lose a lot of money bailing out Wall Street (if this even works). Why the hell should we bail out a Saudi-owned oil tanker flagged in Liberia transferring Iraqi-oil from the Persian Gulf to the Netherlands via the coast of Somalia?

It's easy to exploit the crew, isn't it, Micky.

Try exploiting a highly trained crew of armed mercenaries with the means and the will to find and execute foreign-flag shipowners anywhere in the world who attempt to dodge the bill.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A shipping body (WHICH ONE?) and tanker owners (NAME THEM!) from around the world on Monday called for a military blockade along the coast of Somalia to intercept pirate vessels heading out to sea.

Russia has already said it will send more ships to patrol the area off the coast of Somalia.

Peter Swift, managing director of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, said stronger naval action -- including aerial and aviation support -- is necessary to battle rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia.

Some 20 tankers sail through the sea lane daily but many tanker owners are considering a massive detour around southern Africa to avoid pirates, which will delay delivery and push cost up by 30 percent, he said.

The association, whose members own 2,900 tankers or 75 percent of the world's fleet, opposes attempts to arm merchant ships because this may escalate the violence and put crew members at risk, he said.

"The other option is perhaps putting a blockade around Somalia and introducing the idea of intercepting vessels leaving Somalia rather than to try to protect the whole of the Gulf of Aden," said Swift.

A blockade along Somalia's 3,900 kilometer-long (2,400 mile) coastline "is not easy but some intervention there may be effective. This is where coordination (among naval warships) is important," Swift told reporters on the sidelines of a shipping conference here.

At present, warships (WHOSE WARSHIPS?) patrol a vast international maritime corridor, escorting some merchant ships and responding to distress calls in the area.

NATO has four warships on duty off the coast of Somalia, an impoverished nation caught up in an Islamic insurgency that has had no functioning government since 1991. The U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain also contributes to policing the coast, along with frigates from Russia, India, Malaysia and Denmark. See where pirates are operating »

But the navies say it is virtually impossible to patrol the vast sea around the gulf.

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Somali pirates have become increasingly brazen, seizing eight vessels in the past two weeks, including a huge Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil.

There have been 95 pirate attacks so far this year in Somali waters, with 39 ships hijacked. Fifteen ships with nearly 300 crew are still in the hands of Somali pirates, who dock the hijacked vessels near the eastern and southern coast as they negotiate for ransom. Watch Maersk CEO describe risks to shipping »

"Any action to prevent the pirates from heading out to sea is welcome," said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. He said it was up to the international community to decide how they can deploy their forces for the blockade.

The Baltic and International Maritime Council, the world's largest PRIVATE shipping organization, echoed calls for greater military action (PAY OUR TAB, UNCLE SAM!).

"Despite increased patrols by coalition forces, piracy attacks continue. We hope a system ... will be put in place to coordinate the coalition forces," said Thomas Timlen, its Asian liaison officer. "It's clear from recent events ... that more needs to be done."

Both Swift and Timlen said a blockade is possible if the multi-coalition naval force coordinate their actions and more warships are sent to the area with a stronger mandate.

U.N. resolutions now allow pursuit of pirate ships but various countries interpret the law differently, Swift said.

He called for a clear mandate from the United Nations to allow warships to intercept pirate ships and arrest the sea bandits.

THESE GUYS HAVE SOME NERVE