A story of piracy in 2005

piracy
there is plenty of...PIRACY...particularly in the indian ocean. usually cargoships present a juicier target than passenger ships, but one of the smaller "intimate" cruiseships would be an inviting target. hbg

Wow, good info Mr. Hamburger. I had no idea it was that big of a problem!

commercial piracy has been around for a long time. it is not unusual "to buy off" pirates; it's sort of like paying "protection money".
on the other hand, sometimes pirates were paid to sink an old rust-buchet of a ship to be able to collect on the insurance money(i don't know if this is still happening right now, but it sure wouldn't surprise me).
hbg

ps. i used to work for the port authority in hamburg/germany, so i was somewhat familiar with the subject. since i now live on lake ontario, i don't hear much about piracy around here, but there is plenty of smuggling going on along the st. lawrence river.

Is cigarette smuggling as big as it's ever been, or tapering off a bit?

piracy
reyn : if you are interested, here is an article dealing with...CROSSBORDER SMUGGLING.... along the st. lawrence river. even "legitimate" corporations (tobacco companies) have engaged in smuggling (using the services of the mohawks). and it's still going on; every once in a while there is an article in the local paper about a trailer-truck with smuggled cigarettes being hauled in by the police. it seems that usually a hefty fine is being levied ... which is being paid as a "business expense". the police simply does not seem to have the resources to stop it. hbg