A Pirates' map 2009

The International Chamber of Commerce keeps a real-time map of pirate attacks around the world.

Red marker: Actual Attack
Yellow marker : Attempted Attack
Blue marker: Suspicious vessel

The successful rescue of US captain from Somali pirates is just the latest incident in the region. To keep tabs on international piracy, check out this real-time map from the International Chamber of Commerce.

Despite the dramatic end to the hostage situation of US captain Richard Phillips over the weekend, officials say that this will most likely cause an escalation in violence between Somali pirates and their captives. Up until now there had been little loss of life as most of the captives were returned unharmed after ransoms were paid. Some of those ransoms were unbelievably large, such as the $3m paid for the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, but it did mean little loss of life.
Piracy seems like a problem from the past, not a foreign policy challenge of the present. But this map from the International Chamber of Commerce shows how many incidents of piracy there have already been in 2009 and how widespread the problem is. Go to their site to see most recent updates and zoom in on specific regions such as the Gulf of Aden where Somali pirates are operating.
This is a great example of how a map can explain trends. We've already seen some of information in the DataStore used to create maps, such as Tony Hirst's maps comparing MP's expenses claims.Tony has a great tutorial on how he created the maps and charts.

Credit: The International Chamber of Commerce