Piracy: It's just business...

This smacks of ye old argument that if you give the robber or rapist what they want and you'll get out of it with your life and no worse for wear. After all it's only your property or your virtue at stake and if you resist you might be killed. The shipping companies have made the decision that it's more cost effective to pay the occasional ransom than protect their property and personnel. When the occurrences of piracy escalates will they feel the same? This approach doesn't work because the "rules" are subject to change at the whim of the extortionists. Better to deal with them on the front end and make their business unprofitable and fatal.