Supertankers off the east coast of Africa are reportedly using Britney Spears' tunes to deter pirates from kidnapping their crews.

The princess of pop's songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most, Merchant Navy officer Rachel Owens was reported as saying in Metro.

"These guys can't stand Western culture or music, making Britney's hits perfect," she said.

The British source was one of many international news media outlets, including Time's buzzfeed, the Huffington Post and the Atlantic, to report the use of Britney's music. Its use could not be independently verified.

Ships travelling off Africa's east coast were in constant danger from gun-toting pirates kidnapping crews for enormous ransoms.

Owens, who regularly guided huge tankers through the waters, said the ship's speakers could be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew.

"As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can.

"It's so effective the ship's security rarely needs to resort to firing guns," she said.

Pirates would go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music, Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, told Metro.

But they stopped short of trying to turn the pirates into Beliebers, he said.

"I'd imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention," Jones added, referencing the convention's ban on the use of torture.

In 2011, there were 176 attacks on ships by gangs of bandits off the Horn of Africa.

They were such a threat the Royal Navy had 1500 sailors on 14 warships operating round-the-clock patrols in the area.