Piracy is often thought of as a thing of the past, or something straight out of a story-book which brings to mind mythical characters like Long John Silver. Although preventing pirate attacks is almost impossible, sailors lives and valuable cargo could be saved using a new alarm system which gives an early warning.
Every second is crucial before defending an attack.
Commercial cargoes like oil and aluminium are the most common targets and modern pirates are heavily armed, attacking by surprise at night. They pull alongside the ship and throw ropes attached to grappling hooks onto it before climbing on board. Often the crew of a merchant ship are off-duty at these times and the first they know of an attack is a gun in their face as they sleep. At best, the kidnapped crew can expect to be tied up and held at gunpoint, at worst they can be cast adrift at sea or murdered. The new alarm works like a trip-wire.