Piracy is an international crime, that directly threatens the lives and lives of seafarers and crews of ships, it strongly impacts maritime activity as well as economic development. More than 6000 seafarers have been held hostage by pirates in the last ten years. The global damage caused by piracy is estimated at $6.6 to $6.9 billion through commercial fraud, loss of cargo or delay. Even pirates can cause political instability due to state officials' corruption.
Not only have there been financial loss there have been deaths and mental loss. There have been a study to see the mental health off victims of piracy. This study researches through a survey of 101 former hostages and 363 seafarers. Using clinically validated scales for tracking lasting impact, this research finds that 25.77% of former hostages show symptoms consistent with PTSD, and that hostage experiences and other maritime traumas can have impacts on seafarer wellbeing and decisions about their career through the impact these traumas have on post-traumatic stress symptoms.