Pirates Exploit Confusion About International Law -- A Commentary

From The Wall Street Journal:

On Saturday off the coast of East Africa, pirates seized its largest catch ever: a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker called the Sirius Star. The brazen attack came on the heels of the capture of a Ukrainian vessel (loaded with armaments destined for Kenya) by Somali pirates in September. Humanitarian food shipments into Somalia have had naval escort for nearly a year -- evidence of how much the security of sea lanes has eroded. Media reports suggest that Somali pirates have already attacked more than 80 ships in 2008.

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