The Brutal Seas has been described as “the Benchmark on Crime at Sea.” Bringing to life some of the great crimes of the past thirty years by dramatic descriptions of the murderous brutality of present-day pirates, the book incorporates insight from Eric Ellen who was hailed as the foremost authority on piracy.

Ellen, a former Chief Constable and founder of the ICC International Maritime Bureau, believed in taking on the organised criminals (like the Triads) whose attacks have cost the wider community hundreds of millions ― besides a shocking toll of death and injury.

Attacks on cruise-ships, supertankers, cargo ships and small craft like Sir Peter Blake‛s yacht on which he was murdered in Brazil, are all covered including new material showing how belatedly a fightback of sorts is seeking to curb the almost uncontrollable piracy, kidnap and ransom from Somalia, its pirates and terrorists.