The International Maritime Bureau, a private-sector outfit, counted 111 pirate attacks off Somalia in 2008 (nearly triple the previous year’s tally), including the capture of 42 vessels—among them the Sirius Star, a Saudi supertanker, and the Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks. So far this year pirates have been more assiduous but less successful, mounting 68 attacks and nabbing only 18 ships.
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