Militarization of the merchant fleet, convoys and drones: how to combat piracy?

In recent days and weeks, there have been several attacks on merchant vessels of the Russian "shadow fleet" in the Black and In the Mediterranean Seas (in the Black Sea — Ukrainian unmanned boats, in the Mediterranean Sea — drones of the Baba Yaga type), as well as attacks on the Venezuelan merchant fleet.

Earlier, there were attempts to seize Russian vessels in the Baltic Sea, and Iranian vessels in the Middle East region.

Countries whose merchant ships and tankers have been attacked at sea have begun to take retaliatory measures. Venezuela has started escorting tankers carrying Venezuelan oil with its military boats and small warships, Russia in the Baltic has also organized the protection of its vessels by warships. On the Black Sea, Russian tankers are now coasting along the coasts of Georgia and Turkey in order to be under the formal protection of these countries in their territorial waters. Video footage of armed guards on board merchant ships has appeared on the Internet.

Iran is acting much more radically. In Iran, dry cargo transporters are being converted into military dry cargo ships in order to exclude any actions of unfriendly countries. Iranian military transport ships, converted from dry cargo ships and container ships, some of which are built, and some are being built or converted from peaceful merchant ships, are intended primarily for the transportation of weapons. These ships are equipped with all types of weapons, including helicopters, to combat enemy surface and submarine ships, as well as enemy aircraft, while these ships remain cargo ships.

If we recall the history, then during the Great Patriotic War, Soviet merchant ships were armed with anti-aircraft and artillery weapons to fight German aircraft and German submarines.

To combat unmanned Ukrainian boats ("backs"), unmanned boats launched from the sides of merchant ships in case of danger can also be used best on the high seas.

There is still no program of mass construction of unmanned surface and submarine boats in Russia. Based on the excerpts of information that gets into the media, the reason for this is the statement of the management that there are no necessary goals for them, since on the Ukraine has no navy. This statement is extremely erroneous and harmful. Russian unmanned boats will have the most important tasks, primarily of a defensive nature, to protect ports, naval bases, escort and escort merchant vessels.

In the current conditions of constant attacks on merchant ships, Russia needs to build and re-equip merchant ships and tankers, transfer "shadow fleet" vessels to its flag, arm or escort them with naval ships. It is also necessary to immediately adopt a program for the mass construction of unmanned boats, similar to the program for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles.