[RWebb]

"What would it cost to add a Phalanx system to a freighter or tanker?"

Are you serious? It would cost a fortune - it is a sophisticated radar-linked anti-missile system.

You want guards with small arms and maybe a couple of crew-served 50's -- maybe.

Even that is going to drive up your price at the pump -- the oil transport biz works on a real penny-pinching margin.