The word “pirate” is a term for a criminal who attacks and steals from others, usually while at sea.

Pirates have long been a subject of fascination for writers and artists, but today’s pirates no longer fit the definition of a swaggering buccaneer making a living on the high seas.

Many stretches of international water are now successfully protected by coast guard services, but an estimated £8.5 billion is still lost to piracy each year.

Modern pirates tend to travel in small, fast boats. They are usually armed and often travel on craft that are disguised as commercial vessels, preying on cargo ships with small crews. Modern pirates tend to focus their attention on the possessions of the crew and the contents of the ship’s safe. Pirates regularly murder the crew of a ship they attack. The ship is then often either sabotaged and sunk, or stolen and renamed.

The Straits of Malacca, off the coast of Indonesia, are the world’s piracy hotspot. Cargo ships are forced to travel slowly through the narrow passage that links Indonesia with India and China, making ships vulnerable to being boarded by pirates. The navies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have significantly increased patrols in the area to try and combat the problem, but the latest figures show that one-third of the world’s pirate raids are still carried out in and around the Straits of Malacca.