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For the pirates, the risks of being arrested, killed or lost at sea are overshadowed by the potential for huge payouts. Ransoms for large ships in recent years have averaged close to $5 million. The largest reported ransom was $11 million for the Greek oil tanker MV Irene SL last year.
When the monsoons that have roiled the Indian Ocean the past two months subside in about two weeks, the number of successful hijackings -- or lack thereof -- will go a long way toward telling if the heyday of Somali piracy is truly over.
Still Somalia's widespread poverty and the lure of potential riches make it too soon to say whether the scourge has been squelched.
"We hope so. But at the same time we are definitely advising all vessels not to become complacent just because the numbers are down," said Moody of the International Maritime Bureau. "The reward for the Somali pirate once they get a vessel is enormous, so just giving that up is probably not going to be easy."
Abdi Farah, an elder in Galkayo, said he believes the end of piracy is near.
"Pirates brought vices like drugs and AIDS, nothing else," he said. "There were no benefits."
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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/25/party-appears-to-be-ending-for-somali-pirates/?test=latestnews#ixzz27Xc79a5b
