The World’s Most Pirated Waters of Today

Modern day pirate attacks are not anything out of the ordinary in Malacca Straits South East Asia. If anything, there are to be expected and sea farers expected to be wary of the narrow water channel as dangers lurk there. The narrowness of the channel makes ships slow down enabling pirates to attack easily with speed boats and canoes. They are usually armed with guns and/or grenades and if the crew of the ship doesn’t have enough armament to resist, the only option remains surrendering.

Modern pirates are not just after cargo. The pirates off the coast of Somali tell a different story. Unless they can find a ready market for the cargo, it is next to useless for them. They prefer valuables like gold, jewelry and money from the crew. Kidnapping of crew for ransom is also very lucrative and widely practiced.

Pirate attacks are spread from Philippines to Peru, Zanzibar, Somalia and Yemen. Must stop ports for sea farers like the ports of Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles and Mauritius have been threatened by piracy now and in recent history. Crews that have little or no protection are keen to avoid these routes as a result of repeated attacks.

Somalia’s Coast has probably been the one that grabbed world attention during 2008 and 2012 due to increased piracy. The government of the day in a country that has seen warfare since 1991 was almost nonexistent and intervention of AU backed by UN served to return the country to normalcy and secure its territorial waters.

The islands of the Maldives and Seychelles are known for being tourist destinations of choice. In the recent past, the have been on the news for piracy. The most important capture was MSC Melody which was captured by pirates in April 2009.

The coast of Peru is also infested with pirates. This is fuelled by the illegal drug trade endemic in the region. Callao a city of Peru leads in the number of attacks both in South and North America.

The Gulf of Aden is famous for hijacking Suez Canal bound vessels. Another pirate zone is the Arabian Sea famous for migratory Somali pirates. 

Those are some of the areas which are targeted by pirates worldwide. Subsequently, they are among the most dangerous sea routes ever. Learn more about modern piracy and its effects.