Top 7 Crazy Facts About Real Life Pirates
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum... sort of.
While the word "pirate" may elicit the image of a bearded, boat-faring criminal - real
life pirates aren't quite as stylized as lore suggests.
Although many stories of the past may be true, modern piracy is steeped in complicated technological,
political and socioeconomic factors.
While many areas have their own varied versions of these so-called "pirates" - one thing remains
the same: the terrifying reality of hijackers at sea is a stark reminder of the dangers
at hand when travelling via international waters.
Today, let's take a look at seven facts about real life pirates.
Number seven - it happens a LOT.
Sure, you may hear about a pirate attack here and there on the news - typically only when
it's something of mainstream public interest.
However, the frequency of the pirate attacks you generally DON'T hear about is alarmingly
high - with numbers soaring especially in modern times.
The International Chamber of Commerce's Commercial Crime Services provides a real time updated
log of reported attacks - and a quick browse through the list yields some unsettling results.
With maritime crimes happening on almost a daily level - the amount of kidnapping and
theft is frighteningly high.
Although not all cases end in tragedy, these figures are uncomfortably large - no matter
the ultimate outcome.
Number six - there aren't many repercussions.
There isn't that much deterrent involved - since many pirates originate from impoverished areas,
socioeconomic factors are already in play.
There's an unfortunate allure to piracy for some regional areas - compounded with the
fact that due to strange legal technicalities, there aren't many laws against modern pirates.
In fact, the grand majority of criminals captured are indeed questioned - but they're simply
released most of the time, unable to be held on any sort of actual charge.
Since many countries refuse to imprison captured pirates (due to the high expenditures and
effort required), most of them are released back to their life of crime to repeat the
same cyclical behavior.
Number five - they're not all selfish.
Kinda.
Although we'll get back to the scarier breed of pirates in a moment - let's take a look
at some of the other types of water-traveling antagonists.
There's such a thing as an environmental pirate - that is, a non-robbing sort of Robin Hood.
Groups like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were founded to conserve and protect
ecosystems and species as a marine wildlife conservation organization.
According to their website, they use "innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document,
and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas".
That's a fancy way of saying "ramming and / or sinking ships that engage in harmful
behavior.
We guess that's one way of stopping it.
Number four - ransoms can be extraordinarily high.
Back to the super scary pirates.
Although we mentioned earlier that, indeed - not every report of maritime piracy results
in kidnapping, but when it does - the consequences can be extreme.
Ship owners have faced anywhere between $50,000 USD to upwards of one million dollars - with
select cases exceeding even that once assets are accounted for.
Since our world is based on supply-and-demand, many security organizations have been set
up, offering to escort captains and their ships through dangerous waters for a cool
fee of $120,000 - which just happens to also be the median average for demanded ransoms.
Since the risks are so staggeringly high, this has become somewhat of a necessary insurance.
Number three - they're all over the place.
Since films like Captain Phillips brought Somalian pirates into the public limelight,
most people incorrectly assume that most of these criminal organizations are geographically
limited to just the Federal Republic of Somalia.
While the sketchy political landscape DOES provide an ideal spot for many of these bandits,
there are thriving groups of seafaring crooks all over the world.
While areas of the Indian Ocean, the waters of Indonesia, the Red Sea and Singapore are
also littered with piracy - groups in Nigeria, Bangladesh, Africa, Peru, Mexico, Japan and
Venezuela are all home to their own brand of dangerous underground, counter-culture
militias.
Number two - there's plenty of government and mob ties.
According to sources, modern pirates operate differently depending on their geographic
location.
While this seems obvious - there's more going on under the surface than you'd probably realize.
Many of today's modern pirates have deep ties to organized crime and corrupt government
officials - exploiting legal loopholes either by opportunity or by the help of insider consultants.
Although it may sound like a conspiracy theory, reports of corruption in London have confirmed
the passage of information to pirates - including ship layouts, their detailed routes and even
an inventory of the cargo found aboard.
Other reports go on to indicate Far Eastern pirates even receiving protection from the
Chinese government.
Number one - they're not exactly swashbucklers.
It can be easy to forget that actual real world pirates aren't wielding a cutlass - while
the image of a slashing sword is romantic, it's hardly accurate.
In fact, most modern day pirates are much more hardcore than that - stocked with heavy
duty firepower that includes mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and even a plethora of automatic
weaponry.
Fully equipped with technological gadgets, the idea that these hijackers are out of touch
with competitive criminal methods is a foolish one.
Cell phones, radio communication devices, trackers and other hi-tech toys are utilized
quite frequently - with criminally flourishing areas like Somalia and the South China Sea
being the most life-threatening of all the areas.
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