The merchant navy is blasting Britney Spears songs to fend off Somali pirates, particularly the incessant “Oops! I Did It Again”, and it seems to be working a treat.

A UK Navy officer said the pirates “can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.”

But what about the crew on the ship? Must they suffer Britney’s auto tuned squeals?

“The speakers can be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew,” assured the officer. “As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can.”

I almost can’t believe this is a genuine story… but it is. It’s actually true. You’d think that playing Britney Spears would make you MORE of a target for Somali pirates, seeing as they hate Western culture so much. Certainly wouldn’t think it would make them call off their pirate activities.

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