Sea pirates of the 21st century, or Where not to go on a boat trip

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Everyone knows about pirates of the Middle Ages - their romantic images in books and films are familiar to everyone. However, even nowadays, the problem of seizing merchant ships and crew in order to obtain a ransom or sale of cargo remains extremely urgent. Modern pirates are cruel and ruthless, and there is nothing romantic about their pursuits. How they look and what they do today - further in the review.

Somali pirates are perhaps one of the most famous and dangerous in the modern world. Piracy in Somali waters began to flourish since 2005, after the civil war. Before that, most of today's pirates were ordinary fishermen. Overcrowding, poverty and food shortages provoked banditry. Given the availability of ammunition in Yemen, men arm themselves to the teeth at a relatively low cost. Most pirates are young people under the age of 30, former fishermen or even police officers. Given the widespread alcoholism and drug addiction among them, Somali pirates often lose their relevance and show particular cruelty. They rob not only fishing boats and private yachts, but even other pirate ships.

Pirates of the Caribbean have been looting for centuries. But this is not the only and not the main source of income for modern pirates - the drug trade brings them even greater profits. And corruption among government officials contributes to the prosperity of illegal business. Caribbean pirates are no less dangerous than Somali pirates - they do not hesitate to rob shops on land and kill witnesses.

The Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia is also considered unsafe for cargo ships. Pirate raids in the area account for 30-40% of all attacks annually. They act very quickly, attack the ship, transfer cargo to their ships, take money and personal property of the crew members.

In 2000, piracy peaked in Southeast Asia, with 242 cases out of a total of 460 attacks per year. However, in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, the government is making efforts to combat piracy, as the delivery of goods by cargo ships remains one of the main modes of import and export in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia remains one of the most piracy-friendly regions with about 17,500 islands. The Indonesian pirates are armed with knives, pistols and grenades, they hide among the islands and always attack unexpectedly. The previously uninhabited islands have now become a haven for pirates, where they store looted property. Although the number of attacks here has dropped significantly since 2011, Indonesian waters remain one of the most dangerous regions for cargo ships.

If Somali pirates rage on the east coast of Africa, then the west is the territory of pirates from Nigeria. When patrolling of the coast of Somalia intensified, lawlessness began here. Nigerian pirates attack mainly oil tankers, because Nigeria transports the bulk of oil by water routes.

Located off the coast of Somalia and Yemen, the Gulf of Aden is key for the transport of goods between Africa and Europe. The main source of income for pirates in this area is kidnapping, ransom and raids on ships.

And the most harmless and funniest pirates can be seen on Tampa Festival: Pirates of the 21st Century