Tourism and legal commerce are dead, the republic's merchant fleet stuck in port.

ECONOMIST: A beleaguered Balkan outpost of sanity

Piracy has fallen by almost half each year for the last several years as the merchant fleet gains experience in repelling pirates.

FORBES: How Is The Shipping Industry "Pirate Proofing" Their Fleets?

Mr Acton said there was no firm proof The Mayflower was built in Harwich, but said most of the English merchant fleet and Royal Navy built at that time came from the East Anglian coast.

BBC: Harwich Mayflower Project to build life-size replica

It had previously relied on the merchant marine fleet.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Introduction