Modern day sea pirates [audio 23min]

From Black Beard to bandits who trail the coasts of Somalia, Nick Rankin takes a journey through history looking at pirates of the past, present and future. Rankin is Chief Producer, Arts, at the BBC World Service. He also looks at the issue of modern-day piracy, from illegal downloads of music and software to counterfeit DVDs. You could even be a pirate without realising. In Part One - Modern day sea pirates - Rankin travels to Africa to find out how modern day pirates are ruling the high seas. Ninety percent of the world's trade is still moved by sea, so it is not surprising that piracy against cargo vessels remains a significant issue. Attacks rose by fourteen percent towards the end of last year, largely around the territorial waters off Somalia, which is a unique problem as there is no effective central government and no navy to protect its territorial waters. The country has also been at war for almost two decades. As a result, many young Somali men are uneducated and have no concept of the rule of law. Piracy has now become a way of making a living.