"Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most," Owens said. "These guys can't stand Western culture or music, making Britney's hits perfect."

Other tracks proven effective in scaring away Somali pirates from approaching supertankers along the east coast of Africa include Spears' "Baby One More Time" and "Toxic." "It's so effective the ship's security rarely needs to resort to firing guns," Owens added.