How many times did Somali pirates successfully hijack vessels in 2009?

A maritime watchdog said the number of attacks off the coast of Somalia doubled in 2009 from 111 to 217. Pirates successfully hijacked 47 of those vessels and took 867 crew members hostage , earning them untold millions in ransom payments. Although the number of attacks was significantly higher, the number of successful hijackings was proportionately lower than the previous year.

A new free trade area to rival both the European Union and the North American Free Trade Are-a comes into operation on January 1 st. It will consist of China and six founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei, the largest trading area in terms of population in the world. The agreement will see the elimination of tariffs on 90% of traded goods.