21st Century Pirates

The pirate image is as strong today as it was in days gone by. The life has been romanticised in books, movies, and now the news.

On Saturday, a cruise ship was attacked by modern day pirates off of the coast of Ethiopia. As is days gone by, the pirates were looking to hijack the ship for ransom and loot. Authorities believe that this is the same group of pirates that attacked the UN-chartered aid ship in June. However, this group is only one of three known pirate bands operating in the area.

To date, there has been at least 25 documented pirate attacks in the area since 15 March. In that same same time frame last year, there were only two documented cases.