Piracy at sea: overview and policy responses

This note gives a brief overview of the problems facing UK and world shipping from piracy and armed robbery at sea and summarises the actions being taken by the UK Government and international organisations to tackle the problem.

Please note: there are separate notes on the legal issues surrounding the prevention and prosecution of piracy at sea, including legal powers to board and detain ships; the use of private armed security guards; and the prosecution of pirates (SN6237); and on whether Somali piracy has ‘developmental effects’ (SN6238).