ABSTRACT
Attacks against vessels committed by Somali nationals in the Horn of Africa have dominated headlines for the past two years primarily because of the audacity and purpose of these attacks, namely to kidnap the crew and hijack vessels for ransom.1 The ramifications of these attacks are significant, not only in terms of the unimaginable anxiety of crew members and their families but also in terms of costs to ship owners, cargo owners, insurers and coastal States in the region.2
