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Sea Captains battling pirates off the horn of Africa have an unlikely new secret weapon - Britney Spears.

The US star’s hits are being blasted at the approaching Somali raiders - because they can’t stand her music.

Chart-toppers Baby One More Time and Oops! I Did It Again are the most effective in the war against the Kalashnikov carrying bandits.

Rachel Owens, 34, a merchant navy officer on huge super tankers off the east coast of Africa says the music is a really effective way of deterring the pirates and their high-speed skiffs.

Second Officer Rachel from Aberfoyle in Scotland said: “Her songs have been chosen by the security team accompanying our tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most.

“These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.”

The east African coast is a hot spot for pirates desperate to board ships and kidnap crews for multi-million pound ransoms.

In 2011 there were 176 attacks on ships off the Horn of Africa - 25 of them successful.

Their armada is such a threat the Royal Navy has 1,500 sailors on 14 warships operating round-the-clock patrols in the area.

Rachel regularly guides huge tankers through the waters.

She previously sailed a fishing trawler out of Mallaig and tourist ships around the Western Isles, and says gun-toting pirates are a constant threat.

But she says her 383 yard-long vessel’s armed security staff have come up with the perfect foil in Britney’s smash hits.

Rachel added: “There are a lot of lives and cargo at stake so security is of prime importance.

“The speakers can be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew.

“They’re so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns - as soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can.”

The music is currently used as a second line of defence and is broadcast when initial calls from armed security guards on board fail to deter the pirates.

Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, said the US police and military were the first to use music to quell rioters.

The tactic was then adopted by cruise ships and merchant navy vessels to scare off pirates. “I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention,” joked Steven.

“Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music, even using earplugs.”

A spokesman for the British Association of Private Security Companies added: “Playing loud pop songs has been proven as one of the most effective ways of fending off attackers.

“As a tool against pirates, it is pretty effective. It’s all part of the development of sophisticated technology to make high value cargo secure from attack.

“Each security company will have its own music choice.”

* See more of 'scary' Britney in our gallery below.