Are there still pirates?

For the cruise ship story, follow this link.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4409662.stm or this one http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2201042005 and finally http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-11-07-cruise-blast_x.htm let me know if you want more:)

Yes!

Here's an excerpt about modern-day pirates:

"Bandits on the High Seas Threaten Globalization
March 20, 2005
Blackbeard, Treasure Island, and Captain Hook may come to mind when you think of pirates. From the Pirates of Penzance to the Pirates of the Caribbean, we have seen plenty of romanticized images of these maritime bandits from days of old. But modern day pirates are alive and well...and I don't think they have eye patches and peg legs.

Over the weekend, two U.S. Navy ships skirmished with pirates off the coast of Somalia. One suspected pirate was killed and five wounded in the incident.

The International Chamber of Commerce and the International Maritime Bureau operate the Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in Kuala Lumpur.

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They say there were 276 acts of piracy in 2005, 329 in 2004, 445 in 2003, 370 in 2002, 335 in 2001, and 469 in 2000. The attacks in 2005 resulted in 404 crew members being taken hostage. Twelve are still missing.
The PRC defines piracy this way:
"An act of boarding or attempting to board any ship with the intent to commit theft or any other crime and with the intent or capability to use force in the furtherance of that act." They go on to say, "This definition thus covers actual or attempted attacks whether the ship is berthed, at anchor or at sea. Petty thefts are excluded, unless the thieves are armed."

International maritime shipping is the lifeblood of globalization. And like anything of value, it attracts criminals. To keep the goods flowing, a number of mechanisms have been set up to report, fight, and deter piracy around the world. Here are some of the best places on the Web for learning more:

Weekly Piracy Report, from the International Chamber of Commerce
Regular coverage of international business crime including piracy, from the International Chamber of Commerce
Somali coast "world's most dangerous", from Afrol News
MaritimeSecurity.com is operated by Special Ops Associates, a firm which provides anti-piracy security services
Great pirate books, from the About Guide to Classic Literature
Suggested Reading
Who Cares About U.S. Foreign Policy?
Who Makes U.S. Foreign Policy?
Outsourcing and Offshoring"

Cited article was written by Keith Porter and the website from where this article was taken is as follows:

http://globalization.about.com/od/globaltrade/a/modernpirates.htm

Some cruise ships have now had non-lethal weapon systems added to their structure, such as acoustic devices that give off such a loud sound that the would be attackers are repelled.

yes, they tend to carry machine guns instead of swords though. if you are going to cruise around the caribbean and you're a woman i'd suggest a black wig, they prefer to rape the lighter coloured haired women as opposed to those with darker hair.

When I let my "Rubber Duckies" out of the bag and float the 7 seas !

Do you NOT watch the news???????????????????????????????????

Many yes. Not just in the waters of Somalia, but elsewhere, and in the republican party too.

Yes there definitely are. And as a sailor on cargo ships and oil tankers I can vouch for that. The highest rate of piracy at high seas is observed in Malacca straits.
Ports of Lagos, Indonesia, some ports in Brazil and other african countries are also well-known for such problems.

Yes but now they carry guns and steal music and dvds as well.

Ha har Jim lad thar be plenty of pirates ha har!

Yep. Modern-day ones. D:

Oh yes, there are!
The main regions where you can find pirats are Somalia, the Persian Gulf, Idonesia, South Philippines, Caribbean. And you really don't want to find them (or for them to find you).

Yes, in Somalia waters, indonesia and maybe Haiti...
Bastards...Oi!