Since these pirates are holding people hostage and demanding money they can now be seen as terrorists. They need to be stopped. The best answer is to have UN convoys protecting the ships. These pirates have no chance against a fully armed destroyer. The major tactic would be to created a sence of fear among the pirates so they do not attempt to hijack ships.

You mean, the way they were the answer during the Golden Age of Piracy when they didn't work then either?

No, the answer to end the piracy is a greater military force in the waters near it and harsh prosecution of the pirates, as well as assistance for the impoverished country giving birth to them.

The answer is to unleash US Special Forces to conduct raids on the pirates in their havens in Somalia. It's hard to conduct attacks at sea when every ship larger than in inner tube has been sunk. Any Somali ship found more than 12 miles from the coast should be assumed to be a pirate and sunk.

Piracy:
I believe we are complicating the problem rather than simplifying the solution. My suggestion – two/three German Shepherds on the deck of these freighters & a weapons cache of AK 47's to respond to the dog alerts that someone is attempting to board.

Convoys is an old and well tested solution and should work well in this instance as it has in others. Dry up the revenue stream and the pirates will disband on their own and look for other means to finance their lives. Also, with a convoy escorted by military ships given the permission to take whatever steps are necessary to ward off the pirates, the military will decide when guns need to be used and no civilians will unwittingly create an international incident by shooting at the pirates. Using our military to protect the ships and take needed action is more acceptable in the world community than arming merchant sailors