HARDtalk

When Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi oil tanker and a ship loaded with Russian tanks and other weapons, good old-fashioned piracy made a dramatic return to the high seas. Efthimios Mitropoulos is the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation, the UN body charged with safety and security at sea. Just how can one combat 21st century buccaneers and what can be done about the other crises affecting world shipping and trade? He talks to Gavin Esler.