Somali Pirate Activity Reaches 15-Month High

Additionally, calm weather conditions forecasted for April are favorable to pirates, as it makes it easier to launch skiffs and access a targeted vessel's deck.

A recent study done by One Earth Future Foundation showed that Somali pirate attacks rose to a record 237 in 2011, with ransoms worth $160m paid to release 31 hijacked vessels. It also reported that pirates based in Somalia cost governments and the shipping industry as much as $6.9bn last year.

Currently, sea pirates have 13 vessels detained with 197 crewmen taken as hostages, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

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