Piracy in the Strait of Malacca has long been a threat to ship owners and the mariners who ply the 900 km-long sea lane. In recent years, coordinated patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sing
Strait of Malacca
A US merchant seaman takes aim during training to repel pirates in the Strait of Malacca, 1984.
Suspected pirates assemble on the deck of a dhow in waters off western Malaysia, January 2006.
Piracy
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Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically intending to steal cargo and valuable goods, or take hostages. Those who
Piracy in the Strait of Malacca
…along with increased security on vessels have caused a sharp downturn in piracy. The Strait of Malacca's geography makes the region very susceptible to piracy. It is an important passageway between China and India, and used heavily for commercial trade, with 60% of international maritime trade passing through…
A mosaic of a Roman trireme in Tunisia
A fleet of Vikings, painted mid-12th century
The Vitalienbrüder. Piracy became endemic in the Baltic Sea in the Middle Ages because of the Victual Brothers.
Cossacks of Azov fighting a Turk ship by Grigory Gagarin