Piracy Still Active in the World Today

Most of us think of piracy as something perpetrated by men with peglegs and parrots, with heroic action as well as villainy and death. We also think of it as something that happened long ago in the Caribbean, or in the Mediterranean, not as a modern crime.

The truth is that piracy on the seas today is on the rise. In 2000, piracy jumped by 57% worldwide, with most attacks recorded in Indonesia. Merchant vessels are regularly fired upon and boarded by pirates; according to reported statistics, in 1998 when piracy was not quite as prevalent, fifteen ships were hijacked; four hundred crewmen were taken hostage, and another seventy-five murdered in cold blood. Pirates in the Persian Gulf region based in Yemen often attack oil tankers, and blend freely with terrorists. Pirates off Somalia fired upon a cruise ship not long ago, and were repelled by security on board (a retired Gurkha warrior).

Pirates today engage in terrorism, robbery, hijacking, murder, rape, mutilation, and other crimes against those whose ships they attack. And they don’t fight with a cutlass and cannon; they’re often supplied by terrorists and warlords, and are often as well-equipped as government-sponsored military units.

The Rise of Modern Piracy

After the early 1700s, when piracy reached its peak in the Caribbean, it began a decline around the Atlantic. In the East Indies and the Mediterranean, it remained robust through about the middle of the 19th century, when the same factors that killed piracy in the Caribbean reached other parts of the world.

Technology was the first killer. Merchant vessels grew larger and faster; in the 19th century, steam power was implemented, and then iron-clad ships became much harder to take over. The second reason for piracy’s decline was the improved coordinated naval and coast guard suppression of piracy; improving government administration and serious regulation by increasingly strong naval forces throughout the world made it very difficult for pirates to survive easily.