Abstract: The relevance of the study is due to the need to actively combat piracy at sea. The purpose of the scientific article is to analyze the international legal regulation of countering maritime piracy. The article examines the historical prerequisites for the formation of international legal acts, examines current international legal acts related to the issue of regulation of countering maritime piracy. The author also analyzes regional agreements that coordinate the actions of states in the field of countering maritime piracy. The object of the study is interstate relations in the field of international legal regulation of countering maritime piracy. The subject of the study is international legal acts of a universal and regional nature aimed at countering maritime piracy. The methodological foundations of the research include such general scientific methods of cognition as abstraction, analysis, generalization, as well as private scientific research methods, including: formal legal, comparative legal, historical legal, as well as the method of interpretation of legal norms. The normative and legal basis of the study is international legal acts adopted under the auspices of the UN and IMO, including resolutions of the UN General Assembly, as well as the IMO Assembly related to countering maritime piracy. The novelty of the research lies in the conclusions made by the author in the work. As a result of the conducted research, the author argues for the need to adopt a specialized international legal act. This document should reflect a unified approach in understanding the term "piracy", while regulating in detail the mechanisms that can be used by the State to combat it, as well as to a greater extent coordinate the actions of States. The article also notes the need to form regional judicial bodies, determine the order of their formation and activities by analyzing the regional level of countering piracy. The powers of these judicial bodies will include the consideration and resolution of cases related to maritime piracy.