Maritime Piracy : Learning by Doing? Evidence from Cross-Regional Panel Data 1996-2011

In this paper, I look at the possibility that sea pirates increase their performance over time. I consider three main determinants of performance as far as maritime piracy is concerned: The distance of the attacks which highly depends on the material and financial capacity of pirates, the tonnage of the ships attacked by pirates which also depends on the dexterity of pirates as well as their equipment and, finally, their success ratio. I use a rich cross-regional panel database from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) over the period 1996-2011 that I refine and focus on the main regions of maritime piracy in Africa and Southeast Asia. I find that, over time, pirates increase the range of action at which they commit piracy but also that they attack vessels that are increasingly large in tonnage capacity. I also find no significant change in the success rate of pirates what might indicate pirates are as successful as before, but at attacking more profitable targets