In the summer of 2011, the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was sailing the dangerous waters off the coast of Yemen when it was attacked by pirates. Bu the pirates didn’t seek to hold the tanker for ransom or to steal the millions of dollars of cargo it was carrying. Instead, the ship was lit ablaze leaving its owner with a burned-out hulk and a series of insurance claims.
So why would pirates act in such an irrational fashion? That is of course because these pirates were no more genuine than Johnny Depp.
In fact, the story of the Brillante Virtuoso is one of international intrigue in a the surprisingly corrupt world of international shipping and the insurers that make that critical business possible. The story involves murder, corruption and a surprising lack of consequences to the wrong doers by the international legal system.
The story is laid out in detail by Bloomberg reporters Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel in their new book Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy.