Piracy is a major problem off the Somali coast
http://wvwnews.net/story.php?id=824
Photograph: Somali pirate loads a rocket propelled grenade launcher
By Nick Rankin
BBC World Service
Pirates are not just mythological characters with peg legs, parrots and pistols. They now carry AK47s and use speedboats to rule the high seas of the world.
Robbery of the high seas is not confined to 18th-Century history and literature or Hollywood films – it is still very much alive today.
Ninety percent of the world’s trade is still moved by sea, so it is not surprising that piracy against cargo vessels remains a significant issue.
It is estimated that seaborne piracy amounts to worldwide losses of between $13bn and $16bn a year.
Piracy peaked in 2003 with 445 attacks around the world and since then, they have more or less steadily come down.
In 2006, there were 239 attacks. Last year, the number increased slightly to 249.
Although attacks have decreased from the early 1990s, Rupert Herbert Burns, a maritime security expert at Lloyd’s Intelligence Unit, says piracy is still a worrying problem.
“Attacks rose by 14% towards the end of last year, largely due to attacks off the Horn of Africa, specifically in http://wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3287 waters or in the territorial waters off Somalia,” he said. Potential targets
According to the International Maritime Bureau, which runs the piracy-reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, pirates attack different kinds of vessels for a variety of reasons.
In Nigeria, pirates tend to attack vessels involved in the oil business, while in South East Asia, mainly small tankers, tugs and barges are seized.
Cargo is often stolen from barges and crew members are kidnapped and held for ransom.
In Somalia, any merchant ship is a potential target and they are advised to stay at least 200 miles off the Somali coast.
Somalia is a unique problem, because there is no effective central government and no navy to protect its territorial waters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7280042.stm