Lawless tradition of piracy off the coast of Somalia

Somalia's pirates hail from a long tradition of seafaring clans who preyed on coastal traffic from bases up and down the country's long, flat coastline. The pirates supplemented their meagre living through trade in stolen goods and hostages - who were sometimes sold into slavery. But today's buccaneers, flourishing amid a state of near anarchy in the impoverished country, have fashioned an increasingly sophisticated, multimillion dollar business.

In the past most piracy was centred on the coastal towns of Harardheere and Hobyo in central Somalia and targeted the Mogadishu port area to the south. But in the past 10 years the focus has moved to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the north-east, abutting the Gulf of Aden. The reason for the shift is the richer pickings to be found in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, said author Roger Middleton. About 16,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year.

According to Middleton, author of a report on piracy published by the Chatham House thinktank, while the financial attractions of piracy are strong, western countries and businesses have also contributed to the problem.

"Somalia's fishing industry has collapsed in the last 15 years and its waters are being heavily fished by European, Asian and African ships," he said.

"In a region where legitimate business is difficult, where drought means agriculture is nothing more than subsistence farming, and instability and violence make death a very real prospect, the dangers of engaging in piracy must be weighed against the potentially massive returns."

Piracy also reflects political trends in Somalia, including the resurgence of warlordism and Islamism since the collapse of the last effective national government in 1991.

It is widely believed that Somalia's warring faction leaders and Islamist groups such as the hardline al-Shabaab take a cut of the ransom money in return for allowing the pirate gangs to operate.