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'''Summary'''
'''The proliferation of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and around the Indian Ocean has caused the shipping and insurance industry to consider issues which have not arisen for many years - the last piracy case to be heard in the English Courts being in 1590 (- Hicks -v- Palington (1590)).
In the case of Masefield, the High Court decided that the hijacking by Somali pirates of a vessel, its crew and its cargo for ransom did not result in the cargo becoming an actual total loss in terms of s.57 (1) of the Marine Insurance Act 1906 nor a constructive total loss under s.60 (1) of the Act. The Court further held that the payment of a ransom to the pirates was not contrary to public policy - a question which had been the subject of much discussion within the London Market.'''
