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The documentary PIRATES – ROBBERS ON THE HIGH SEAS captures the hot spots of piracy worldwide. We film aboard the frigate Augsburg, when the naval warship not only offers emergency assistance at the Horn of Africa and the coast of Somalia, but also when it takes action against pos-sible pirates. On board we capture the everyday life of German sailors, whose frame of mind constantly ranges between hope and fear, missing their families, yet determined to stamp on the brutal bucca-neers. Even politics can no longer ignore the piracy problem. Although the initial command for the mis-sion of the German navy during “Operation Enduring Freedom” at the Horn of Africa was that of counterterrorism, it has since been taken over by reality.

In Hong Kong we meet Martina Platte, who works for the German Seaman’s Mission, she is an expert on piracy and its impact. Hong Kong is one of the largest ports in Asia, and the region - especially the South China Sea - suffers desperately from the pirate attacks. Furthermore, we visit the town of Win-schoten in the Netherlands, the home of the shipping company recently involved in a hijacking case. We also meet Captain Kotiuk, the Commander in Chief of the hijacked Hansa Stavanger. He tells us about the hostage drama, the mock executions and the constant fear for his life.

Another location is London, where the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of the United Nations has its home. Just recently the UNO passed a resolution about piracy at the Somali coast. We talk with Roger Middleton, who is an expert on Somalia and the poor condition that country is in - one of the reasons, he claims, why Somalians turn to the sea to make money. Piracy is the second largest eco-nomic branch. Piracy is one of the oldest “industries” in the world – and judging by what is happening at the moment, business beneath the skull and bones will remain a challenge for the 21st century civil maritime shipping.