Somali pirates attempted more than 200 attacks on merchant ships in 2009 The first European trial of Somali pirates is to open in the Netherlands.
Five men are accused of seeking to hijack a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. They face up to 12 years in prison.
They were arrested last year when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish patrol vessel.
Pirates attempted more than 200 attacks on merchant ships off the Somali coast in 2009, out of more than an estimated 400 pirate attacks worldwide.
Many of the suspects arrested in military operations in the Gulf of Aden in recent years have had to be set free for lack of evidence.
Justice systemThe trial is taking place at Rotterdam District Court in the Netherlands.
The men were arrested in January last year after their high-speed boat with firearms was intercepted by a Danish frigate, as they were allegedly preparing to board the cargo ship Samanyolu, which was registered in the Caribbean.
The Netherlands issued European arrest warrants for the five men. They were flown on a military plane from the Gulf state of Bahrain to the Netherlands, where they have been in custody since.
The men's lawyers say they will challenge the jurisdiction of Dutch courts to try the case because the cargo vessel was under the flag of the Netherlands Antilles, which has its own justice system.
They will also argue that the men are poor fishermen, who acted out of despair.
But the prosecution says it is intent on defending the interests of the ships and their crews who were shot at and held hostage by pirates.
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