By Gaia Montenovo​

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​​Imagine a merchant ship making slow headway on the high seas. It is large and laden with cargo, but there are few people on board: around twenty, perhaps fewer. All around, nothing but water. It is precisely this combination – large, slow and relatively defenceless – that makes it an ideal target.

Pirates do not appear out of the blue. They have already chosen that ship. They have identified it by observing the busiest shipping routes. They know that it is fairly slow, that its sides are not too high, and that it is not escorted by military vessels. They approach from a distance, often setting out from a mother ship, a medium-sized fishing vessel that allows them to operate hundreds of miles from the coast without arousing suspicion.

Then, suddenly, the action accelerates.

Two or three skiffs - small fast boats - break away and head for the ship. They hurtle across the water at full speed. On board are armed men, often carrying Kalashnikovs. When they are close enough, they start firing: not to damage the ship, but to intimidate. The message is crystal clear: stop and do not respond.

The alarm is triggered on the merchant ship. The crew sends a silent emergency signal and attempts evasive manoeuvres. Sometimes, they activate water cannons or take refuge in a citadel, an armoured room designed specifically for such situations. However, all this has to happen quickly, because there are very few minutes to spare.

The skiffs pull up alongside the hull. The pirates look for a vulnerable, less protected spot. That's where they throw their ladders or grapples. All it takes is for two or three men to manage to climb aboard. That's all it takes. Once on deck, the outcome is almost a foregone conclusion. They move swiftly towards the key areas: the bridge and the engine room. That's where everything is at stake.

If they gain control of navigation, the ship is theirs.

Although dramatic, this scenario is now much less common than it was twenty years ago. This is no coincidence: it is the result of a coordinated, determined and international response that has changed the rules of the game on the high seas.

In 2008, the European Union launched Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, with the aim of preventing and countering acts of piracy, ensuring the safety of merchant shipping and securing the transport of humanitarian aid from the UN World Food Programme.

The Italian Navy plays an active role in this operation, contributing highly specialised personnel, naval units and international coordination activities. The frigate Emilio Bianchi is currently deployed in the area, confirming Italy's ongoing commitment to maritime security.

The most recent operations demonstrate the effectiveness of this initiative. In April 2026, as part of Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, the Iranian dhow Al Waseemi, which had been seized by a group of Somali pirates approximately 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, was freed. The coordinated action of naval and air assets exerted sufficient pressure to force the pirates to abandon the vessel, enabling the crew to be brought to safety and proceedings to be initiated to prosecute those responsible.

To date, thanks to Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, 117 pirates have been handed over to the relevant authorities, demonstrating the effectiveness of international cooperation and maritime control and surveillance activities.

Thanks to this international cooperation, it is now possible to state that piracy has been reduced by approximately 90%. However, it remains a threat that must be contained and continuously monitored.