Contemporary pirates are not ruthless barbarians roaming the world, but extremely sane and rational people focused on maximizing profits.
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During the 20th century, pirates did not pose a particular threat to world shipping: the maximum that the pirates could do was to rob the ship's cash register and the crew.
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Things started to change in the 1990s with the advent of modern communications and new technologies.
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The number of attacks on ships increased in all three regions where pirates are traditionally found: the Caribbean, the Strait of Malacca, and the Gulf of Aden.
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The first Somali pirates were simply angry fishermen who seized foreign boats and demanded "tolls".
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Other pirates made their debut by plundering UN ships delivering food to Somali refugee camps.
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But over the years, piracy has become a business worth millions of dollars.
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Today, pirates do not hide their motives and directly say that they are only interested in money.
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When contemporary pirates seize a ship and demand a ransom, it is usually paid by the owner of the ship, on whom the fate of the sailors depends.
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The treatment of hostages is usually decent, and there have been very few deaths.
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In 2020 the oil market faced a new threat: pirates around the world, and especially in West Africa, increased their activities, creating risks for international oil companies and supply chains.
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A total of 47 cases of armed robbery at sea were recorded, 21 of them in the Gulf of Guinea, mostly in Nigerian waters.
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The collapse in oil prices in 2015 led to a change in pirate tactics: previously, attacks on tankers were carried out with the aim of stealing oil and reselling it on the black market.
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Today the main goal is to kidnap the crew and demand a ransom for the release of the hostages.
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Unlike Somali pirates, pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have no storage or mooring facilities due to the lack of ports.
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Warning: these questons and answers are not all representative of the way questions will be asked and answered in the pilot, because some questions are compound and some answers do not include citations.

Q: What are contemporary pirates mostly focused on?
A: Maximizing profitsA: Money

Q: When did modern pirates start to pose a threat to world shipping?
A: In the 1990s

Q: Why did pirates start to pose a threat to world shipping in the 1990s?
A: Because of modern communicationsA: Because of new technologies

Q: Which region did the number of pirate attacks on ships increase in the 1990s?
A: The Caribbean

Q: Which region did the number of pirate attacks on ships increase in the 1990s?
A: The Strait of Malacca

Q: Which region did the number of pirate attacks on ships increase in the 1990s?
A: The Gulf of Aden

Q: What did the first Somali pirates do?
A: They seized foreign fishing boats and demanded "tolls"A: They plundered UN ships delivering food to Somali refugee camps

Q: How much is the piracy business worth nowadays?
A: Millions of dollars

Q: Who is the ransom demanded by pirates paid by?
A: The owner of the ship

Q: What is the treatment of hostages usually like?
A: Decent

Q: What happened to pirates’ activities in West Africa in 2020?
A: They increased

Q: How did the increased pirates’ activities in West Africa in 2020 threaten the world oil market?
A: They posed a risk for supply chains 

Q: How many cases of armed robbery at sea were recorded in 2020?
A: 47

Q: Of the 47 cases of armed robbery at sea recorded in 2020, how many were in the Gulf of Guinea?
A: 21

Q: In what country’s waters were most cases of armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea recorded in 2020?
A: Nigeria’s

Q: What event in 2015 led to a change in pirate tactics?
A: The collapse in oil prices

Q: What did pirate tactics look like before 2015?
A: They attacked tankers, stole oil, and resold it on the black market

Q: What have pirate tactics looked like after 2015?
A: They have been kidnapping crews and demanding ransoms

Q: What is the difference in the resources between Somali pirates and pirates in the Gulf of Guinea?
A: Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have no storage or mooring facilities

Q: Why don’t pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have any storage or mooring facilities?
A: Due to the lack of ports