Piracy

With piracy of the cost of Somalia now getting international attention from the media, and governments concerned with protecting its citizens and products it is surprising how little seems to be being done to defend against pirates. In the past week an American cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden was attacked by two pirate skiffs but managed to escape. The major difference between this attack and other is that the cargo was people, not oil or military hardware like the recent attacks that have been in the media. To a pirate a cruise ship offers a vastly more profitable catch then a cargo ship. People are much more likely to pay high ransom demands when the things they are buying back are families, not just goods. Taking people hostage on a ship also provides more people to make the demands too, instead of just making demands to the ship owners, loved ones of people taken hostage could also pay. It does not seem like many precautions are being taken to defend against pirate attacks, and cruise and cargo ships still sail in what are considered pirate infested waters. This Article from the New York Times speaks more to piracy and the near capture of the American cruise ship.