It's been anything but smooth sailing for Somali pirates lately, as the heady days of hijacking and plunder dry up at the hands of international military efforts and simple on-board security enhancements, reports the AP. The flow of whiskey has ebbed and the hookers have gone home in villages once known as pirate havens, which now look more like refugee camps. "There's nothing to do here these days," says one. "The hopes for a revitalized market are not high."
Adding insult to injury, creditors are now on the prowl. Many of the onetime pirates say that the risks of being imprisoned, killed, or lost at sea now outweigh any potential booty. And while obituaries for the Somali pirate may be premature, the stats speak volumes: The number of hijacked ships have gone from 47 in 2010 to just five so far this year. And many Somalis say good riddance. "Pirates brought vices like drugs and AIDS, and nothing else," says one village elder. (More Somali pirates stories.)
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