Policing the high seas requires a considerable input of resources, both monetarily and in terms of equipment. Such piracy poses real threats to maritime travel, and policing massive swaths of open ocean has proven quite difficult. Nevertheless, the practice has since spread to other major sea routes around the world, from South East Asia and the Mediterranean, to West Africa and Central America. The coalition has enjoyed high levels of success, and piracy there has been significantly assuaged.
In response, an international coalition has been formed to fend off pirates along the Somali coast.
The practice, however, has garnered international prominence in recent years (especially the Somali piracy activities off of the coast of Africa). Until recently, piracy has been relatively unheard of in contemporary news media.
