Armed Robbery Against Ships

An act of violence, detention or depredation, or a threat of one, committed for private ends against a ship or the persons or property on board it, occurring within a state's internal waters, archipelagic waters or territorial sea, a legal category the International Maritime Organization has classified separately from piracy since 2002 specifically because piracy under international law can occur only on the high seas or outside any state's territorial jurisdiction. The distinction determines which authority has jurisdiction over an incident, since armed robbery against ships falls under the coastal state's own domestic law enforcement and courts, while piracy is subject to universal jurisdiction allowing any state to prosecute an offender under international law regardless of where the vessel was attacked or the offender captured.