Practical seamanship
and boatbuilding
PIRACY TODAY
Fighting Villainy on the high Seas
John C Payne
Modern piracy has nothing to do with Jack Sparrow or the romanticized mercenaries of popular culture. It is a billion-dollar business that takes advantage of inadequate international law, lax enforcement and under-staffed ships. Gangs armed with AK-47s and small rocket launchers have been emboldened by recent successes and are demanding—and often receiving—six-figure ransoms. Theft of cargo and rocketing insurance premiums mean the cost of transporting goods is rising, not to mention the increased physical danger to mariners in all corners of the globe. In this eye-opening account, respected author and seaman John C. Payne lifts the veil on modern piracy, detailing hundreds of very real and frightening accounts up until now. The recent hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates merely brought worldwide attention to an issue that has been simmering for years. Piracy has never gone away, and has become even more pervasive in the 21st century, where smaller crews man more technologically advanced ships. Vagaries of jurisdiction and the vast oceans make pirates harder to capture and bring to justice. In safe havens like Somalia and the Malacca Straits, they are a menace to ships of any type. What is being done about them, and what more can be done? What precautions can you take with your own yacht? Payne brings decades of experience to bear on this threat to every sailor. "Now pirates are back, driving speed boats and armed with cellphones and AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. These modern Blackbeards are the detritus of Third World failed states, empowered by a declining U.S. Navy presence since the Cold War and an international community that has lost interest in enforcing the laws of the civilized sea. Today, as in medieval times, travelers and businessmen—and especially cargo ships—are learning that after they set sail they'd better watch their backs. John C. Payne's Piracy Today...will help them chart a safe course and remind them of what happens if they don't. " — The Wall Street Journal, Friday April 9, 2010
About the Author: John C. Payne is a professional marine electrical engineer who has spent 35 years afloat on merchant ships and offshore oil industry vessels. He is a qualified Maritime Safety Auditor and Marine Surveyor as well as a cruising yachtsman. He has published more than a dozen books for yachts and pleasure vessels, as well as numerous magazine articles. Currently, he works in Asia and the Middle East on various maritime and offshore projects.
158 x 235mm | 320 pp illus. | ISBN 978 1 57409 291 2| £19.95 bk
© Seafarer Books Ltd 2010
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