Piracy has been a constant threat to global merchant shipping for centuries. Still, the debate concerning the level of efficiency regarding counter piracy theories hold, is ongoing. This indicates a lack of reliable measures on how to counter the phenomenon. By comparing two cases, this study examines five different measures that are considered to be efficient ways of countering piracy. The aim of this approach is to initially explore which measures that can be considered successful, and to provide a deeper understanding as to how they could be applied. The result shows that four out of five measures shown in the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca case study namely; the presence of cooperating military units, cooperation between different actors, influence the pirates use of ports and bases and safety and security for merchant shipping. The fifth measure, ability to provide, has not been covered in any of the cases. The result highlighted the disparity between the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca. In conclusion the significance of the presence of cooperating military units and its impact on the participating naval forces was identified.