An increasingly-sophisticated band of pirates off the coast of Somalia is capturing and holding hostage a number of ships.

In this video, experts explain how these 21st century pirates operate and make money.

So far this year, pirates have made $20 to 30 million by ransoming crews of the captured ships. This week, pirates captured an enormous Saudi oil tanker worth millions of dollars.

Navies from around the world, along with NATO and United Nations forces are trying to stop the pirates, but the area of water is so large that it is difficult to end the problem without addressing the unrest in Somalia that is giving rise to poverty, desperation, lawlessness and pirate attacks.

"This problem emanates not at sea. I mean, it starts from onshore. And clearly the Somali government needs help. This transitional federal government has acknowledged it does not have the capacity to deal with this problem. And so it needs additional help from the U.N., from the African Union, from the world to try to deal with some of the economic and governance problems that lead to the pirates." - Geoff Morrell, Pentagon Press Secretary

"The crimes are occurring because it's a crime of opportunity. There's no government to speak of in Somalia to stop them. The area is very wide and poorly patrolled, so the opportunity is there. And, unfortunately, the shippers are willing to pay the ransom, so there's an economic motive, as well." - Peter Pham, James Madison University

"They bring a small number of speedboats -- maybe three or five -- off the Somali coast. Maybe they capture a slightly larger fishing trawler that they can use as a base of operations for days or weeks. They can lay in wait for ships to come by. They might maneuver themselves into high-density shipping areas." - Andre Le Sage, National Defense University

1. What is a pirate?

2. Do pirates still exist?

1. Why are the pirates taking over ships? Why aren’t there enough military ships to protect these merchant ships?

2. How are these pirates similar or different from the “pirates of the Caribbean” type pirates you see on television and movies?

3. Should the ship owners pay ransom for their crews? If they stopped paying ransom, would the pirates keep stealing ships?

4. Were you surprised that one of the captured ships had tanks and other weapons on board or another was a huge oil tanker? Why do you think it is relatively easy to capture these ships that have such important cargo?

5. Do you think pirates will become a bigger threat in the future? Why or why not?