Since Captain Richard Phillips was dramatically rescued by U.S. Navy Seals on Sunday, pirates of the coast of Somalia have stepped up their attacks on ships.

On Monday, they hijacked two Egyptian fishing boats and two freighters… On Tuesday, two more freighters and four skiffs were taken by force… And just last night, a U.S. cargo ship carrying food aid for Africa was attacked.

The international community is working together in a joint task force to try and tackle the problem, but it’ll take a lot of work, and a lot of ships. In the mean time, one might expect to see shipping costs and insurance premiums escalate for this region…