Somali pirates are holding over 435 sailors hostage

Each hijacked ship and its crew will bring the pirates holding it a ransom of anywhere between £1.5 and £3 million pounds Photo: AFP/GETTY

Figures gathered by the London-based International Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Crimes Services show that while the total number of attacks has declined, the numbers of crew kidnapped and ships hijacked has not. The pirates have had more success with less effort.