NAIROBI: Merchant ships are fending for themselves against Somali pirates, considering tactics such as barbed wire and sonic blasters, with international action so far failing to make a major impact.

Many observers agree that naval coalitions are but a band-aid stretched too thin over a huge area and that the key to eradicating piracy is addressing Somalia's woes on land.

Yet more than 100 ships continue to sail through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden every day, hoping to dodge the growing ranks of ransom-hunting groups prowling the region.