Siblings set to fight pirates

Apr 18 2009 by Joanne Butcher, The Journal

A BROTHER and sister team are prepared to battle against pirates to protect fellow sailors.

Barnard Castle siblings Scott and Stephanie Gaffney will sail through some of the busiest sea lanes of the world, notorious for pirate attacks.

They will help protect ships as they sail through the dangerous waters.

Scott, 20, and Stephanie, 18, are in charge of communications and computer systems onboard HMS Bulwark, County Durham’s affiliated warship, which is currently heading for the Far East. The Royal Navy’s Taurus 09 deployment will travel to the waterways between Yemen and Somalia, the scene of numerous pirate attacks in recent months. There, the ships will stand by to assist any seafarers who get into difficulty as it makes passage towards the Far East.

Most recently, an American ship was targeted, and the Captain Richard Phillips was held hostage by the villains.

And over Christmas, County Durham engineer Peter French, 45, was a member of the crew on a Saudi tanker that was only freed after payment of a £3m ransom.

Piracy is the biggest money-maker in Somalia, earning $30m (£20m) last year.

HMS Bulwark and the rest of the deployment will also operate in the Strait of Malacca, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. Again, the area is notorious for pirate attacks.