Semantics are important. For the general public, the word 'pirate' evokes the vaguely nostalgic and somewhat romantic vision of, among others, Captain Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and the Pirates of the Caribbean.

I just wish the press and the professionals would start using the word that really applies here; Hijackers.

Hijack
1.
a. To stop and rob (a vehicle in transit).
b. To steal (goods) from a vehicle in transit.
c. To seize control of (a moving vehicle) by use of force, especially in order to reach an alternate destination.
2.
a. To steal from as if by hijacking.
b. To swindle or subject to extortion.
The seizure of a commercial vehicle—airplane, ship, or truck—by force or threat of force.

Hijacking is the modern term for "piracy." It is derived from the phrase "High, Jack!" which is a command to raise one's hands before being robbed. The word gained popular currency during Prohibition (1920–33), when bootleggers commandeered truckloads of liquor from each other, and reappeared when political activists began to seize commercial airplanes in the 1960s.
         legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Hijacking

Hijackers should be pursued to the full extent of the law and garner no special label that diminishes, even ever so slightly, the despicable acts they commit. But even more importantly, international pressure should be brought to bear on the organizers of these hijackings.