As globalization pushes maritime trade to historic new heights, the ocean fills each year with more and more ships carrying an ever greater wealth of goods and resources. That means more targets for pirates. It also means more slow-moving traffic in geographic choke points like the Strait of Malacca and the Gulf of Aden, providing more opportunities for attacks.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that this recent boom in maritime trade has corresponded with a boom in global piracy which first appeared in the mid-1990’s. Read More