Somali pirates have been quiet for a number of years now, but security expert Peter Astbury said that situation could "turn on a sixpence" amid a political crisis in the country.

The senior negotiator at maritime security company MAST told TradeWinds that the country's business elites had come to the conclusion "they'd had a good run" on vessel hijackings.

"There was more money to be made through going through the appearance of positive cooperation with the international community," Astbury added.