Indonesia's 17,500 islands and their surrounding waters now take the title as the world's most heavily pirated.
National navies are becoming progressively more active in combating piracy, along with more armed security companies being employed on commercial vessels and tankers. According to NBC News, this was a concept that was rare, and even discouraged, in many maritime circles as recently as 2008.
Pirates are catching on, however, refining their tactics and beefing up their armament.
