In 2008 the highest number of attacks recorded against ships in the world was<br />reported to have taken place off the coast of Africa. These attacks were carried out at<br />greater distances from land, along the east coast of Africa, than ever before. In this<br />article the extent of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the African context<br />and underlying causes of piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of<br />East Africa will be presented. The objective is to analyse incidents and the land and<br />sea based causes in East Africa to account for the shift in strategy from attacking<br />ships in territorial waters to attacking ships on the high seas. A secondary aim is to<br />determine, in view of the shifting background to the attacks, the responsibilities of<br />navies and other role players in the process of countering such attacks. The article<br />suggests that states need to review national legislation related to maritime security<br />and that all state role players in the maritime domain need to cooperate more<br />efficiently.