Piracy can mean different things; it can be a crime that is committed. A human on a ship at sea is called a pirate and usually has small, fast boats. Pirates use such boats to attack other ships, which are usually large cargo ships.[1]
For as long as ships have sailed the sea, there have been pirates. Piracy still happens often in the Gulf of Aden, mostly by Somali pirates.[1] Ancient Egypt and the Romans, Medieval kings, and the British Empire dealt with pirates. Fighting pirates has sometimes been one of the most important roles of a navy.