1. INTRODUCTION

Piracy in shipping is a current (as in the past) shipping problem. It is an act of boarding or an attempt to board a ship with the intent to commit theft or the intent or capability to use force in the furtherance of that act (IMO, 2005). Piracy in shipping includes the acts of armed robbery, theft and hijacking against a ship.1 Unlike safety accidents which are unintentional, piracy incidents are intentional. Terrorist incidents are also intentional. However, piracy and terrorist incidents differ in that the focus of the former is theft, while that of the latter is damage to property and/or injury to individuals for political reasons.