Thu, Nov 20, 2008 (2:05 a.m.)

More than 90 ships have been taken by pirates this year off the eastern coast of Africa. The pirates have demanded ransoms, typically $1 million, for the return of the vessels and their crews. Ship owners have, by and large, paid.

After hijacking a ship carrying Russian tanks in September, the pirates went after a bigger prize this week — a supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil. The ship, with an estimated worth of $110 million, was headed for the United States.

The vessel’s owners’ in Saudi Arabia were negotiating with the pirates for the release of the ship and its crew of 25.

This latest attack is particularly troubling. The pirates have typically targeted ships in the Gulf of Aden, a major nautical thoroughfare because it leads to the Mediterranean Sea and allows ships to avoid the long and arduous trek around Africa.

Operating out of Somalia, the pirates threaten to choke that route. Well-funded and heavily armed, they have become increasingly brave. They hijacked the supertanker as it was 420 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean.

The fractured and weak Somali government has been unwilling or unable to stop the pirates, and a small international coalition of naval ships has had little success.

The international community should realize this is a global problem. The pirates threaten the stream of global commerce, particularly oil. World leaders should take this threat seriously and find ways to work cooperatively to end piracy.