By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Preposterous as it may seem, pirates are still among us, sailing the high seas, pilfering and plundering their way to untold treasures. Maybe not quite, but incredulous nonetheless. Their swords have been replaced by high powered automatic weapons and grenade launchers. Their treasures are no longer chests of gold and precious stones, but millions upon millions of dollars. Their captives are considerably less attractive, but the ransom rates are staggering. So far they have acted freely with interference from no one. No armies, navies or maritime forces have yet tried to stop them. Was I alone in believing that piracy was a thing of the past, long gone and buried with Blackbeard? Like many other film-goers, we had our share of dashing corsairs, and seductive swashbucklers, but such films depicted historic adventures of the Golden Age of Piracy of the 16th -- 18th centuries. This is the 21st century and the age of piracy is still alive and prospering, and even more terrifying because more is at stake. Now, you may think this is most unusual and certainly a rare occurrence. It is not! In fact it is widespread and on the rise. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 264 piracy attacks occurred in 2007, and in 2008 it will exceed that number. Most occur in the South China Sea, the Malacca Straight between Malaysia and Indonesia, East Africa, and the Gulf of Aden off the Somalia coast. Some weeks ago Somali pirates hijacked a Ukrainian cargo ship, Faina, with its crew of 20. It was transporting 33 battle tanks as well as a variety of heavy weapons. The US ships rushed to the rescue for fear the weapons would fall in the wrong hands. Russia's warship Nuestrashimy swiftly followed suit, carrying a bunch of commandos in case things got rough. Even the European Union, always slow to move, is planning to set up an anti-piracy security operation, and the UN in also getting in on the act with another of its futile resolutions. Was the situation resolved? Not in the least bit. The incident drew international attention, and the ransom of $25 million was demanded to free the ship. The Somalis insisted this was no ransom, but a "fine" for transporting arms in Somali waters. Somali pirates scored again by seizing a Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa. It is carrying 2 million barrels of oil worth $100 million headed for the US. The ransom this time is $41 million. Those helpless-looking Somali pirates are a far cry from the familiar romantic swashbuckling rogues. They have no one to account to, as Somalia has no functioning government since 1991 when Mohamed Siad Barre, the ruling dictator was removed. It is estimated there are 1200 Somali pirates, mostly fisherman who got tired of pulling up empty nets. One scenario has it that Al-Qaeda employs some of those pirates. All ransoms are eventually paid, which explains this booming industry. In his book Dangerous Waters, Modern Piracy, John S. Burnett wonders how much the world will take before mounting serious action against piracy. Pirates have throughout history, preyed on merchant ships. All over Asia and Africa they have operated defiantly, committing armed robbery on the high seas. Pirates may be tried in all countries so they fly their own flag of no nation, unless they wish to deceive. The skull and crossbones on a black field, well-known symbol of piracy, has gained tremendous popularity among young people. T-shirts, bed-sheets, flags, mugs, etc, are selling like hotcakes following the outstanding success of the recent Disney blockbuster series Pirates of the Caribbean. Watching those modern pirates after their capture, made one nostalgic for those hopelessly romantic cavaliers in high boots and elegant brocaded waistcoats. Some of us still remember the most famous screen pirate of all, Captain Blood played by the dashing bon vivant Errol Flynn. Writers like Robert Louis Stevenson immortalized Long John Silver in his beloved Treasure Island, and J. M. Barrie terrorized Peter Pan and the inhabitants of Never, Never Land by his heartless Captain Hook. Such writers helped etch an image of pirates as swarthy ruffians to be feared and shunned. Hollywood's romance with piracy, started in its infancy as far back as 1912 with Treasure Island, and in 1926 Douglas Fairbanks starred in The Black Pirate. Gilbert and Sullivan's opera The Pirates of Penzance was successfully adapted for the big screen, and even the Muppets could not resist some high-seas adventures in Muppets Treasure Island. Nothing compares to the staggering success of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, which was extended to three parts filling up Hollywood coffers with pure gold. Pirates grossed $326 million, becoming #21 among the top 1000 grossing films. Piracy is as real today as it has been on and off throughout history. The reasons are many, such as intense commercial rivalry, or religious hostility. Africa's Barbary Coast was notorious for its heroic pirates, known as Barbary Corsairs. The most famous among them were the Algerian Brothers Arouj and Khan Eddine. The latter, better known as Barbarossa was the most feared pirate of the Mediterranean in the 16th century. Some pirates were national heroes and patriots, such as the British Sir Henry Morgan, who became commander of the English forces in Jamaica, and the Frenchman Jean Lafitte, who helped American forces defend New Orleans in the war of 1812. Even the ladies joined the act with the likes of Anne Bonnay and Mary Read. With navigation in the Red Sea threatened, Egypt called an urgent meeting in Cairo with Red Sea nations. In attendance were representatives from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and Jordan. Revenues from the Suez Canal would be gravely affected if Somali pirates forced ships to seek other routes. "If we cannot protect our waterways," said Egyptian national security expert Mohamed Abdel-Salam, "the impact will be tremendous." History has a nasty way of revisiting us again and again. Piracy is not a thing of the past. It is costly and deadly, and far less romantic! There is nothing so desperately monotonous as the sea, and I no longer wonder at the cruelty of pirates -- James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)
