It is not just children who play pirate these days. The International Maritime Bureau reports that there were 469 attacks on ships last year, a 56 percent increase over 1999. That number has increased throughout the last decade; without concerted action by governments -- and especially those in Southeast Asia -- it will continue to climb.
Piracy is a deadly business. Last year, 72 seafarers were killed and 99 injured; the year before, only three died and 24 were injured. A U.S. think tank estimated the economic losses at $16 billion a year. All figures and estimates are probably low, since many, if not most, attacks go unreported.
Southeast Asian waters are probably the most dangerous in the world. By one estimate, half of all attacks and most of the fatalities occur there. According to the IMB, the Malacca Straits has seen the fastest rise in piracy: The number of reported incidents rose from two in 1999 to 75 in 2000.