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WASHINGTON — The State Department says the United States and 46 other countries have made a significant dent in the percentage of successful pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa.
Although the number of pirate attacks is on the rise, fewer of those attacks are successful.
The State Department reported Thursday that pirate attacks jumped from 19 in 2007 to 122 in 2008. There were 198 attacks last year, but just 50 ships were seized. That compares with 12 successes in 2007.
The department said Somali pirates now hold seven major vessels and about 160 crew members hostage.
