The wisdom of Gordon Tullock, part II

The U.S. Navy said pirates commandeered a Saudi-owned supertanker
bearing more than $100 million worth of crude a few hundred miles off
the Kenyan coast, an attack that sharply increases the stakes in an
effort by governments and militaries to protect the world’s
energy-supply lines.

U.S. Navy officials said the hijacking was unprecedented for its
distance from shore and the size of its target — a ship about the
length of a U.S. aircraft carrier. The attack appears also to be the
first significant disruption of crude shipments in the region by
pirates.

Here is the story.  Here is Peter Leeson’s paper on pirates.  I don’t yet see it on Amazon, but stay tuned for Peter’s forthcoming book The Invisible Hook

I thank Brad Williams for the pointer.

Addendum: From another article:

The pirates’ profits are set to reach a record $50 million in 2008,
Somali officials say. Shipping firms are usually prepared to pay,
because the sums are still low compared with the value of the ships.

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