This offence still exists in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, but is no longer punishable by death in either country.

Section 2 of the Act creates the offence of piracy with violence: Whosoever, with intent to commit or at the time of or immediately before or immediately after committing the crime of piracy in respect of any ship or vessel, shall assault, with intent to murder, any person being on board of or belonging to such ship or vessel, or shall stab, cut, or wound any such person, or unlawfully do any act by which the life of such person may be endangered, shall be guilty of felony...The offences of piracy which existed in 1837 have since been abolished.

The "crime of piracy" mentioned in section 2 is now defined by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (in section 26 and Schedule 5),[2] which simply sets out articles 101 to 103 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982): Definition of piracy Piracy consists of any of the following acts: Piracy by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied The acts of piracy, as defined in article 101, committed by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied and taken control of the ship or aircraft are assimilated to acts committed by a private ship or aircraft.

Since this definition is restricted to the high seas, piracy in British territorial waters would today be treated as robbery, assault or attempted murder under the Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878, or as hijacking under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 (which can also be applied to piracy on the high seas).

In 1998 the mandatory death penalty was abolished by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, and the sentence is now up to life imprisonment.