The World Bank has published a new study on the age-old crime of piracy, which dates back to Ancient Rome, when Cicero called pirates hostis humani generi, meaning “enemy of all mankind.”

The report details the economics of the nasty trade off the Horn of Africa and shores of Somalia, the backdrop for the recently released film “Captain Phillips,” directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks.

Among the findings of the report, entitled “Pirate Trails”:

Overall booty for pirates: Between $339 million and $413 million (all figures U.S. dollars) was claimed as ransom for ships commandeered by pirates around the Horn of Africa and coast of Somalia between April 2005 and December 2012. Average ransom per ship in 2012 was estimated at more than $4 million.

Loot for low-level pirates: Standard haul is between $30,000 and $75,000 U.S. per pirate, which seems a princely sum, considering Somalia has estimated an annual per capita income of $284, the fourth worst in the world. That said, a successful mission can take several months and it’s often a year by the time the ransom is paid.

There are also stiff fines imposed on pirates by their backers, included $5,000 and dismissal forabusing the crew of the captured ship and $5,000 for falling asleep on duty.

Loot for pirate bosses: Financiers usually rake in 30 per cent of a ransom payment, which can come to more than $1-million profit per ship. Their haul can reach 75 per cent of ransom payments, depending on initial investment into things like assault rifles, tracking devices and rocket-powered grenade launchers.

Background for low-level pirates: Many are unemployed fishermen, hurt by illegal international fishing.

Background for pirate bosses: They include former police and military officers, businesspeople, civil servants, successful-pirates-turned financiers and dealers of khat, a stimulant which produces euphoria when chewed.

Financier reinvestment: The financiers put their share of the loot into many different ventures, including real estate, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, khat trafficking and creation of military forces.

Pirate reinvestment: The pirates themselves often put their money into sex workers, khat and cars.

The World Bank report also found that there were several different types of spinoff jobs created by the piracy industry. Among those spinoffs:

Interpreters: They make between $10,000 and $20,000 per hijacking. Their task is to board ships and set up lines of contact between pirates and prey.

They’re also on board as final payment is counted out. This can be time-consuming, as pirates reject the electronic trails of money transfers and $4,000,000 is a lot of money to count out by hand. The loot is also checked out by counterfeit detection machines before a deal is finalized.

Lawyers: Lawyers earn undisclosed fees for helping negotiations between shipping companies and pirates.

Merchants: Goods and services are provided on credit, pending payment of ransom.The cost of everything sold to pirates— food, fuel, khat, alcohol, cell phone time — at least triples.

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Security consultants: Some pirates set up companies to offer their expertise to act as security experts and negotiators for shipping companies. They often openly advertise and contact victims directly.

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