Shipping crews are using Britney Spears' music is scare away pirates off the coast of Africa.

Security teams accompanying supertankers in the region blast out tracks including ...Baby One More Time and Oops! I Did It Again from huge on-deck speakers when they see Somali raiders approaching.

The tactic is used when suspected pirates ignore initial instructions to move away from cargo ships, and the pop princess' songs were chosen as research showed she is the marine bandits' least favourite singer.

British Merchant Navy officer Rachel Owens, who guides ships through the dangerous seas, tells The Sun newspaper, "As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can. Her songs were chosen by security accompanying tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most."