[mbreese]

I'm not saying that they couldn't. I expect that they would. But, for large container ships, isn't the bigger concern hostages? No crew = no hostages.

I mean, pirates aren't going to be able to dock a large container ship at any random port. And even if there is a manual override, why wouldn't it require a key of some kind?

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the threat model changes when you don't have a crew on board that you can threaten. Some parts of piracy (access) may be easier, but others more difficult.