Heavy ocean traffic has spawned a surge in sea piracy and a new breed of pirates, the bloodiest the world has seen.

The world currently transports 80% of all international freight by sea. More than 10 million cargo containers are moving across the world’s oceans at any one time. More than 2,400 acts of piracy were reported around the world between 2000 and 2006, roughly twice the number reported for the preceding six-year period.

Although pirate attacks have at least tripled during that time period, the actual number of attacks remains unclear. Shipping companies frequently do not report attacks out of concern that it could increase insurance premiums. And nearly every group of government monitoring sea piracy believes that number is seriously undercounted.

Violence has also become an endemic feature of privacy, particularly over the last five to 10 years. The birth of the illicit global arms trade that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 made it easier for many to become pirates. The arms trade has also made cheap and powerful weapons available in many parts of the world. Five to six years ago, when pirates attacked, they used machetes, knives and pistols. Today, they come equipped with AK-47s, M-16s, grenades and RPG’s.

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