[00:00.00]The report describes as significant the increase in hostage deaths last year.
[00:04.87]35 people died, that's 3% of all hostages taken.
[00:09.65]Most were killed during rescue operations, a sign that the increasingly robust way of dealing with pirates makes life more dangerous for the hostages.
[00:18.23]Others died from malnutrition or disease.
[00:21.37]It used to be rare for a captive to die.
[00:24.29]For the pirates, who are principally interested in ransom payments, they were worth more alive than dead.
[00:30.49]The report describes the often brutal treatment of crew members.
[00:34.87]Last year nearly 4,000 seafarers were fired upon by Somali pirates.
[00:40.09]Half of all hostages were subjected to what the report describes as moderate abuse including punching and slapping.
[00:48.03]10% suffered violent abuse such as being locked in freezers, burned with cigarettes and having their fingernails pulled out with pliers. 10%
[00:56.78]The report also says that last year there was a 50% increase in the length of time people are kept hostage.
[01:03.55]It's now an average of eight months.
[01:06.31]Some have been kept for more than two years, such as the crew of the Panama-flagged MV Iceberg who have been held hostage since March 2010.
[01:15.94]The report says the ship's owner has gone out of business so there is nobody to negotiate the crew's release.
[01:22.65]The Director of the International Maritime Bureau, said that although a lot of attention is given to Somali piracy, the human cost on seafarers and their families is often ignored.