Who do pirates call to get their cash?

The hijacking of ships off the coast of Somalia has become a mini-industry, with another seized on Thursday. The ransoms are always paid - but how? Simon Cox goes on the money trail and finds all roads lead to one destination: London. Piracy off the coast of Somalia is big business. Last year alone pirate gangs were paid an estimated £35m from holding scores of ships and hundreds of crew members to ransom.But securing their release is the responsibility of a hidden mini-industry of lawyers, negotiators and security teams based nearly 7,000km (4,200 miles) away, in London, UK, the business capital of the world's maritime industry.
The key players in this sector like to keep their activities as discreet as possible but in my investigation I gained access to people involved in every part of the ransom chain.
When a ship's owner discovers one of their fleet has been hijacked, the first port of call for them is normally to a lawyer like Stephen Askins, whose firm is one of the few that deals with kidnaps and ransoms at sea. Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.
"We would expect to be called early," says Mr Askins. "And how you then deal with the negotiations will be a team decision. more..http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7847351.stm