Pirates & Privateers: John S. Burnett's Books

In January 1992, John Burnett sails aboard his sloop across the South China Sea. He knows pirates frequent those waters, but doesn't take those warnings seriously. In the prologue of Dangerous Waters, he relives the terrifying moments when pirates board Unicorn and threaten his life. He survives, but not all seamen who travel the world's waterways are as lucky.

Modern-day piracy seems surreal to many of us, but it is a growing problem that can result in major consequences for our world economy if governments don't work together to stop it. In light of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the potential danger seamen and passengers face elicit terrifying images. Imagine yourself aboard a cruise ship seized by terrorists who have no demands but to become martyrs to their cause. Or consider a VLCC, enormous ships that carry oil, sailing the most congested and narrowest waterway in the world, the Malacca Straits. Armed pirates board the ship and disable the crew to plunder the ship, which continues on its way without anyone watching to make certain she doesn't wreck on the rocks or collide with another ship. The catastrophic economic and environmental results of an oil spill of those proportions will impact everyone around the world.

This is the essence of Burnett's book, a well-researched and well-rounded examination of how maritime piracy and terror impacts people's lives. He discusses pirate tactics, the vulnerability of ships and seamen, ways to fend off pirates, and the contributing factors that result in successful piracy. He also provides firsthand accounts of pirate attacks and ship hijackings experienced from the point of view of the victims and the few men, like Captain Noel Choong, Director of the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre, who hunt the pirates.

Dangerous Waters is a riveting account that focuses not only on modern maritime piracy but also the potential threat from terrorists. It's a growing problem that is often ignored or overlooked, yet results in acts of violence, including murder. Perhaps the most chilling passage in the book comes toward the end when Burnett speaks to Deepak, a teenager who as a child witnesses a brutal pirate attack aboard his father's cargo ship that almost kills his sister. After he tells his classmates about what happens, one of them declares, "There aren't any pirates! We don't believe you!" Do you?