Engineers have modified a firefighting robot to fend off attacks by pirates. It can ‘wash away pirates along with their weapons’ and even sink their boats.

The device is based upon a design for extinguishing fires on seagoing vessels and in ports. It was developed by the Centre of Firefighting Robotechnics in Petrozavodsk, a city in northern Russia.

A total of 12 such robots are needed to protect a ship. In automatic mode the system monitors its sector and if motion sensors detect an attack, a water cannon shoots at an approaching boat. Cameras also allow the robot to be operated manually from the bridge.

The water cannon is powerful enough to wash away boarding pirates and even sink their motorboats.

The manufacturer says a freighter company in Murmansk has ordered a number of their novel robots for testing.

The increased number of attacks in the Gulf of Aden off the African shore has forced several countries, including Russia, to send warships to patrol the troubled waters.

Some experts suggested arming the crews of freighters so they could defend themselves, but this would require a major change of maritime laws.