Today's pirates might appear different from the 17th century swashbuckling images we know
of, but they're every bit as deadly.
Here are 8 shocking cases of modern day piracy that will make you think twice about going
out to sea...
Number 8: The Seabourn Spirit attack Ever since the Somali Civil War entered its
second phase in the beginning of the 21st Century, pirate activities off the coast of
Somalia have been a threat to international shipping.
It initially began when groups of Somali fishermen armed themselves to fend off foreign boats
that illegally fished and dumped toxic waste in their waters.
But the fishermen eventually turned to hijacking ships in order to steal goods and demanding
ransom money as a source of income.
In November 2005, Bahamian cruise liner Seabourn Spirit was sailing 100 miles off the coast
of Somalia with over 100 passengers onboard, when two pirate speedboats suddenly appeared,
having apparently been launched from a mother ship.
From their speedboats, the pirates fired their machine guns and RPGs onto the ship, causing
considerable damage.
Two security officers on board the cruise named Groves and Gurung bravely resisted them
by shooting down water from a high pressure hose and by shooting sonic waves from a Long
Range Acoustic Device.
After about 30 minutes of fighting, the pirates eventually gave up and retreated.
Gurung who is an ex-Gurkha soldier got himself injured by shrapnel during the skirmish.
Both he and Groves were awarded medals by Queen Elizabeth II for their bravery.
Number 7: The MS Melody attack As pirate attacks become more common, there
have been calls for commercial ships to carry firearms.
However, this would result in another problem as such ships are not allowed to dock at non-military
ports.
Some operators resort to hiring private security companies who board the ship as it reaches
dangerous waters and leave once the threat has passed.
In April 2009, the attack on MS Melody became the first case in which a pirate attack was
thwarted by an armed private security team.
The Italian ship was carrying 1500 passengers on a cruise from Durban, South Africa to Genoa,
Italy, when Somali pirates approached them in the middle of the night.
A speedboat carrying six people sped alongside the ship and fired shots with an automatic
rifle at the bridge.
The pirates then tried to attach a ladder to gain entry, but some passengers reportedly
prevented them from climbing by throwing tables and chairs overboard.
A hired Israeli private security team on board quickly mobilized themselves and further prevented
the pirates from climbing by firing pistols and fire hoses at them.
But the attackers didn't give up immediately, and chased the ship for another 20 minutes
along the Indian Ocean.
The pirates eventually retreated, and were then pursued and captured two days later by
a Spanish frigate.
Number 6: The Inabukwa Hijacking Indonesian waters, alongside the Malacca and
Singapore straits are among the busiest sea lanes in the world.
For centuries, the Southeast Asian sea route has been essential for trade between the Far
East and the rest of the world.
With so much traffic and valuable cargo, it's not surprising that the area has a long history
of being a pirate hotspot, a tradition which still continues to this day.
In March 2001, Indonesian cargo ship Inabukwa was sailing through Indonesian waters with
nearly 2 million dollars worth of tin ingots, zinc and white pepper.
Suddenly a group of pirates armed with guns and knives stormed the vessel and forced the
entire crew onto a speedboat that carried them away for over an hour.
Already blindfolded, bound, and stripped, the crew was shocked when their captors announced
that they would be walking the plank.
Trembling, the captives underwent the age old pirate execution method, thinking that
they would die.
But as soon as they entered the water, they realized that they were in shallow water with
coral reef, which allowed them to cut the ropes and make a short swim to shore.
The Inabukwa along with its cargo went missing for weeks, but suddenly reappeared in the
Philippines with a new paint job, new crew, and name change.
But the pirates’ deception attempt was so poor that the Filipino authorities immediately
figured out that the ship was stolen.
The seven people onboard were apprehended, and transferred to Indonesian custody.
Number 5: Sir Peter Blake's Murder Peter Blake is one of the greatest yachtsmen
the world has ever known, having won multiple medals and awards in the sport, and broke
the fastest around-the-world sailing record in 1994.
Blake's accomplishments earned him a knighthood, and he is regarded as a national hero in his
country New Zealand.
Sadly, he didn’t live a long life.
In December 2001, at the age of 53, he was shot and killed by pirates on his yacht during
an expedition on the Amazon River.
Blake was on an environmental expedition in Brazil to monitor the effects of global warming
and pollution for the UN.
Following a trip up the Amazon River, his Seamaster yacht anchored off at the river
delta, waiting to clear customs.
That night, a group of masked pirates wearing crash helmets and balaclavas raided the ship.
While they were making their demands, Blake quickly reached for a rifle and shot one of
the assailants' in the hand, before he himself was fatally shot in the back.
The pirates fled the scene after having seized an outboard motor and some watches, but they
were eventually captured by authorities some time later.
Compared to the open sea, piracy on the Amazon River is extremely uncommon.
But the Amazon Jungle is known for being a place virtually devoid of law, and Sir Peter
Blake's killing proved that tragedy could befall anyone.
Number 4: Judith Tebbutt's Kidnapping This case is rather unique in this list as
Judith Tebutt and her husband David fell victim to piracy while they were on land.
In September 2011, the British couple was on a fortnight's holiday in a luxury beach
lodge on the shores of Kenya.
They were the only ones staying in the place when it was raided one night by Somali pirates.
After being forcefully awakened from her sleep, Judith was dragged into a speedboat and brought
to a small, isolated hideout in Somalia.
It was only after two weeks of captivity that she learned that her husband had already been
shot and killed at the resort for resisting capture.
She remained hostage for over six months before being released after her family paid a huge
ransom to the captors.
The payment was arranged by a local Somali broker who conducted negotiations between
Judith's family and the pirates.
The hefty ransom, reportedly being over one million dollars in cash, was airdropped to
the pirates.
A former worker at the resort named Ali Babitu Kololo was charged by Kenyan authorities for
being an accomplice and guide to the pirates, but maintains that he was forced to comply
at gunpoint.
Number 3: The MS Achille Lauro Hijacking Throughout the 70s and 80s, Palestinian armed
militants had a reputation for hijacking commercial airplanes as part of their fight against Israel.
However, their attacks are not limited towards aircrafts, as shown in the hijacking of the
MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
While most consider this an act of terrorism, we could also call it an act of piracy as
it involved hijacking a ship at sea.
As the Italian liner was sailing from Alexandria, Egypt, towards Ashdod, Israel, four Palestine
Liberation Front (PLF) militants carrying machine guns took over.
With everyone on board as hostage, they demanded the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners being
held by Israel.
They directed the ship to sail to Tartus, Syria but were then refused entry by the Syrian
government.
Frustrated, one of the militants mercilessly shot an old wheelchair-bound Jewish American
named Leon Klinghofferan multiple times, and threw his body overboard.
The ship headed back towards Egypt, and after a lengthy negotiation, the hijackers agreed
to free the hostages in exchange for safe conduct out of the country.
All four were flown on an Egyptian airliner towards Tunisia.
But on the way, they were intercepted by four US fighter jets who forced them to land in
Italy where they were all arrested.
Number 2: The SY Quest incident In February 2011, four Americans on vacation
were sailing round the world aboard their yacht, the SY Quest.
Unfortunately their fun ended when they were stormed by 19 Somali pirates while sailing
200 miles off the coast of Oman.
With the four Americans as hostage, the pirates directed the yacht towards Somalia.
In response, the US Navy dispatched several warships, including a guided missile destroyer
to deal with the situation.
They intercepted the pirates in the Indian Ocean a few days later, and two of the pirates
were brought aboard one of the Navy ships to negotiate.
The pirates were offered to take the yacht and all of its contents in exchange for the
four Americans.
But the pirates refused, believing the hostages were worth a lot more in ransom money.
While negotiations were taking place, a pirate fired an RPG at one of the Navy ships but
missed.
Almost immediately afterwards, gunshots were heard from the stolen yacht, and a team of
Navy SEALs were quickly dispatched to rescue the hostages.
A brief skirmish followed, resulting in the death of two pirates, one by combat knife
and the other by bullet.
All the remaining pirates surrendered.
Unfortunately, all four hostages were found to have been shot and killed, alongside the
corpses of two other pirates with no explanation for their deaths.
The captured Somalis were trialed and sentenced in the US.
Number 1: The Maersk Alabama hijacking The hijacking of the MV Maersk Alabama in
April 2009 is probably one of the most well known cases of modern day piracy due to all
the international attention it drew at the time.
Originating from Oman, the merchant vessel was bound for Kenya when it was raided by
Somali pirates in a speedboat.
Despite defensive measures taken by the American crew who had undergone anti-piracy training,
four pirates managed to get on board.
Still, the crew refused to give in.
They managed to shut down the ship to prevent the pirates from controlling it, and locked
themselves to safety in a secure room.
Some crewmen actively resisted the invaders, and even managed to capture and tie up one
of the pirates.
Unfortunately, Captain Richard Phillips who commanded the ship was captured, and the pirates
escaped with him as a hostage on the ship's lifeboat.
US Navy ships were dispatched to negotiate with the pirates who were onboard the lifeboat
for the release of the captain.
A stand-off in the middle of the sea went on for days, with the captors refusing to
give in.
Navy SEAL snipers were eventually given orders to shoot, and all three pirates were killed
simultaneously with headshots.
Captain Phillips was saved, and the fourth pirate caught earlier on the ship was taken
into US custody.
According to reports, all four of the pirates were very young, aged between 17 and 19 years
old.
The Maersk Alabama hijacking inspired the 2013 film "Captain Phillips" starring Tom
Hanks as
the titular character.