After payment of large ransom to pirates, the hijacked vessels ,cargo on board and crew usually would be released. Payment of ransom seems to be the most unavoidable yet the most effective solution to hijacking by pirates. As a result, the legal nature of pirates~ ransom has gradually become the focus of the concern of the international community and in particular,the ship-owners,cargo-owners and insurers. As a leading country in shipping law ,English law concerning piracy and pirates＇ ransom walks in the forefront of other counties among the world. Therefore, it would be of great advantage to understand the position of piracy and pirates＇ ransom under English law. With reference to the judgment of second instance of the case ＂Masefield v. Amlin＂ delivered by the English Court of Appeal in early 2011,this article analyzes and examines various issues in respect of piracy and pirates＇ ransom, such as legality and public policy, whether the property under capture of pirates constitutes total loss,and whether pirates＇ ransom can be deemed as general average or sue and labour expenses.%在向海盗支付大笔赎金后，被海盗劫持的船舶、货物和船员通常会得到释放。支付赎金似乎成为当前解决海盗劫持最不得已却最有效的手段。因此，有关海盗赎金的法律性质也就日渐成为国际社会，特别是船东、货主和保险人关注的焦点。作为一个航运法律强国，英国显然在认定海盗行为和海盗赎金的法律性质上走在了海运国家的前列。因此，了解英国保险法下对海盗行为及海盗赎金的认定对于中国航运法律与实务大有裨益。根据英国上诉法院在2011年初对the“Masefield v．Amlin”案的二审判决，对包括海盗赎金的合法性和公共政策，在海盗劫持下的财产是否构成全损，以及是否可以将海盗赎金认定为共同海损抑或是施救费用等问题加以分析和阐述。
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