The term refers to pirates or privateers who operated in the Mediterranean. The most recognized corsairs were from the Barbary Coast of North Africa (European crusaders named their Muslim enemies “Barbary Corsairs”).
These corsairs were authorized by their governments to prey upon the shipping lanes of Christian countries. The Maltese Corsairs led the fight against the Turks, being led by the Knights of St. John. The Maltese Corsairs initially fought for religion, but after a while the rewards of piracy grew to greater appeal. Soon the Maltese Corsairs were full-fledged pirates, with no interest in religious ideals.
TOPA privateer was a pirate who by commission or letter of marque from the government was authorized to seize or destroy a merchant vessel of another nation. The privateer was used as a cheap means of weakening the enemy by frequenting shipping routes (avoiding the costs related to the maintenance and creation of a navy).
In theory no Privateer with a letter of marque could be charged with piracy, since it was recognized by international law. However, it was not uncommon for privateers to be charged and prosecuted for piracy by hostile nations. All occurrences of vessels captured by privateers had to be brought before an Admiralty Court where they were tried to ensure that their plunder was legal game.
TOPThe International Maritime Bureau, a division of the ICC Commercial Crime Services, reports an upsurge of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia and in Brazilian ports.
At the same, the IMB is concerned about the constant nature of piracy in Southeast Asian waters. Ships travelling to the affected region are being advised to be particularly cautious when transiting the waters between the South China Sea and the Java Sea. These pirates are using relatively heavy weaponry (mortars and rocket-propelled grenades) against vessels sailing in East African waters. The IMB advises vessels to remain at least 50 nautical miles offshore when transiting the coastal regions of Somalia. In recent incidents, the pirates off Somalia pretend to be coast guards, there have even been such instances with corrupt law enforcement officials. Their deception often begins with vocal warnings through loudspeaker or radio, followed by attack with automatic weaponry. It’s believed that some attacks are aimed at gaining control of a ship in order to seize others, as the pirates' own craft is usually too small and too slow to really be effective. Recently, the pirates attacked a British registered racin g yacht off the coast of Somalia. The small pirate craft fired a mortar at the yacht in the Gulf of Aden, and some of the pirates attempted to board the vessel. Fortunately, the pirates quickly fled when a container ship and a Canadian Navy vessel came to the yacht's rescue.
These recent piracy problems have been under the observation of the United States, which is growing increasingly concerned about armed gangs attacking vessels in the country's ports.
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