UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon on Friday outlined seven possible options for the prosecution and imprisonment of Somali pirates, who have been hijacking ships along with their crews and robbing them of their cargo in the waters around Africa, Xinhua reported.
The proposed options were contained in Ban's report to the UN Security Council, which was issued here on Friday.
A total of 406 Somali pirate attacks took place in 2009 alone, according to the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Ban's report, prepared at the behest of the Security Council, gives options for trying the accused pirates, ranging from having the Security Council itself open an international tribunal to establishing a Somali court in another nation, with or without the UN's assistance.
The Security Council has already been providing resources to regional states that wish to prosecute pirates.
The Security Council will begin to decide how to move forward on the piracy issue on Wednesday morning, when the Council members engage in a debate on the matter.