May 11, 2007:
Action by many navies and coast guards in the
Pacific and Africa have caused a sharp decline in pirate attacks this year. For
the first three months of the year, there were 41 pirate attacks worldwide,
compared to 61 for the same period last year. While attacks are up in Nigeria
(mainly because of a rebellion in the coastal oil producing areas), they were
down in Somalia and Indonesia. Nations in southeast Asia have taken energetic
measures to reduce piracy around the heavily used Malacca Straights. Police
have rounded up people suspected of engaging in piracy, and the United States,
with the largest navy on the planet, has gotten more involved in anti-piracy
efforts.