Navy ships are using Britney  Spears to scare off Somali pirates.

Captains are playing the popstar’s hits at  full volume to deter ‘western culture-hating’ pirates and stop them boarding the  ships, merchant navy officer Rachel Owens revealed to the Metro.

Classic hits Baby One More Time and Oops! I  Did It Again are being used and have proved effective at stopping kidnap  attempts from bandits.

Second Officer Owens, who works on supertankers off the east coast of Africa, said: ‘Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most.

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

‘Hit Me Baby, One More Time’: Somali pirates apparently  hate Western music – especially Britney Spears

Vessels in the area come under attack  frequently from pirates who board the ships and demand multi-million-pound  ransoms.

One of the most high-profile cases was in  2009 when a 17,000 ton container ship, owned by Maersk Line, was been hijacked  by Somalia pirates with 20 crew members aboard while sailing from Salalah in  Oman to the Kenyan port of Mombassa via Djibouti.

In 2011, there were 176 attacks on ships by  gangs of bandits off the Horn of Africa. Most recently, last Thursday, Pirates  attacked an oil supply vessel off the Nigerian coast and kidnapped the captain  and chief engineer.

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

 Navy ships are blasting Britney hits to deter  Somalian pirates

Hijacked: ne of the most high-profile cases was in 2009  when a 17,000 ton container ship, owned by Maersk Line, was hijacked by Somalia  pirates with 20 crew members aboard

Deterrent: Britney Spears songs are played to pirates to  deter them from boarding ships

Ms Owens, who guides tankers through the  waters, said the ship’s speakers can be aimed at the pirates so the crew are not  disturbed.

‘It’s so effective the ship’s security rarely  needs to resort to firing guns,’ said the 34-year-old, from Gartmore, near  Aberfoyle, Stirling.

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

Steven Jones, of the Security Association for  the Maritime Industry, added: ‘Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to  overcome the music.’

‘I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be  against the Geneva Convention.’

Spears, who started her career in a 1990s  revamp of the Mickey Mouse Club (with Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake…  and Ryan Gosling), has always pointed to Madonna and Janet Jackson as two of her  major influences.

Perhaps now she can boast that warding off  piracy on the high seas is an honour (albeit a dubious one) that Madonna and  Jackson can’t claim.

Read more: DailyMail