As far as criminals go, none are more romanticized than the pillaging, plundering, swashbuckling
pirate.
But despite their dreamy representations in movies, piracy is an extremely disruptive
practice, innocent human lives and tons of money.
In recent years, piracy has seen a resurgence in countries like war-torn Somalia, worldwide
140 hostages have been taken by pirates in just the first three months of 2015.
So we wanted to know, how dangerous are pirates?
Well, piracy, or armed robbery at sea, has been around ever since we started using ships
for trade.
The earliest records describe pirates in the Ancient Mediterranean Sea around 14th century
BC.
However the real Golden Age of piracy, the one we most associate with buccaneers, walking
the plank, and eye patches, was during the 17th and 18th centuries.
This was largely because countries began giving out “Letters of Marque”.
These authorized pirates, also called privateers, to act on behalf of governments to attack
merchant vessels of other governments, thereby expanding a country’s navy through private
hire.
However, by the mid 19th century, piracy was so rampant that fifty-five nations signed
the Paris Declaration abolishing the practice.
After the end of the Cold War, an opportunity for piracy emerged as the world’s navies
shrunk, and international shipping trade increased.
Around this time, Somalia’s government and economy collapsed, and ex-fishermen began
raiding nearby ships for private gain.
The areas particularly affected include the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman,
and the Indian Ocean.
Modern pirates usually use small boats, armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades.
However, most pirates focus more on ransoming a crew, as depicted in the 2013 film, Captain
Phillips.
More often than not, the cargo being shipped is not stolen and hostages are rarely killed.
Since 1995, there have been more than 6,000 pirate attacks.
At their peak in 2011, pirates cost the international community nearly $7 billion, and received
$160 million in ransoms.
However, those numbers quickly collapsed, with not a single vessel hijacked in 2013.
The drop in attacks has been attributed to a number of taskforces deployed worldwide
to fight Somali pirates, along with the increased use of security teams by shipping companies,
and a push towards jailing and prosecuting.
Currently, more than 1,400 pirates are in prisons around the world.
So how dangerous are pirates?
Well, while the biggest hit from piracy is undoubtedly financial, pirates are still pretty
violent, and anyone armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher is definitely dangerous.
But as tactics change, and rates of piracy fall, the danger of being attacked by pirates
has been steadily decreasing.
And as Somalia regains some stability, fewer and fewer Somalis are turning to piracy.
Somalia faces a much more frightening enemy on dry land, in Al-Shabaab… one of the most
violent terrorist groups in the world.
To learn more about the group, check out our video here.
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