The profits of piracy

Who is profiting from the piracy trade? It would seem that the only beneficiaries of this business are the pirates who make a living off this ancient profession. The truth runs a little deeper than that. There are massive transaction fees invloved in paying out pirates, not to mention the increased insurance rates for merchant lines.In order for a pirate to be paid, there have to be a few middlemen taking cuts all the way from the time a ship is seized to the final settlement. Suppose a pirate demands a two million dollar ransom. The final settlement is believed to be at least twice this amount because ofall the intermediary "work" that has got to be done in Europe. At what stage does the relationship between pirates and enablers become cyclical? When the intermediaries are making as much or more money than the pirates. We have reached such a stage already. Besides, it has laways been hard to believe that semi-literate Somali warlords are the masterminds behind these daring sea raids.I suspect there is more to Somali piracy than meets the eye.