First U.S. ship hijacked by pirates (update 2)

This undated image made available in London, Wednesday April 8, 2009 by Maersk Line, shows the 17,000-ton container ship Maersk Alabama, when it was operating under the name Maersk Alva (AP Photo)

Update 2

As of this posting, it appears the Master of the M/V Maersk Alabama, Capt. Richard Phillips,  is still being held hostage aboard the ship’s lifeboat which has been launched from the ship.  The Alabama’s crew includes a 2001 graduate of Mass Maritime, Shane Murphy who is serving as Chief Mate.  His father Capt. Joseph Murphy is an instructor at Mass Maritime and author of the well-known license study guides known as “Murphy Books”.  NPR has published an excellent article about the involvement of the Mass Maritime grad. 

CNN has reported that the crew initially disabled the engines when the four pirates boarded the ship.  This prevented the pirates from being able to force the disabled ship into a Somali safe haven and probably played a large role in getting the pirates off the ship. 

The pirates were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, while the freighter’s crew carried no weapons, Quinn said.

The crew — minus the captain — locked themselves in the compartment that contains the ship’s steering gear and remained there for about 12 hours with their captive, whom they had tied up.

The three other pirates “got frustrated because they couldn’t find us,” he said.

The pirates scuttled the small boat they used once they climbed aboard the freighter, Quinn said, so Phillips offered them the Alabama’s 28-foot lifeboat and some money.

John Reinhart, CEO and president of Norfolk, Virginia-based Maersk Line Ltd., said the crew can try to outrun the pirate boats or turn fire hoses on anyone trying to board the ship, “but we do not carry arms.”

The crew also reportedly overpowered the pirates, taking one hostage which forced them to take the lifeboat with the Captain on board.  An attempt was made to exchange the hostage pirate for Capt. Phillips, however the pirates did not release the Capt. upon getting the fourth pirate back.  No injuries have been reported thus far. 

CNN is also reporting that the U.S. Navy has P-3 planes and unmanned drones which have a visual on the lifeboat and the Alabama.  The USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer is steaming towards the scene, but may still be several hours away.  At the time of this posting, the Bainbridge should be within range to launch a helicopter.   The Maritime will continue to monitor the situation and post updates as they come along. 

Update 1

Maersk Limited is reporting that the ship is back under the control of the U.S. crew, with one crew member being held hostage.  The 24 hour news channels are reporting that the hostage is the master of the vessel, a U.S. citizen and is being held hostage in the lifeboat with the remaining pirates.   Latest from NY Times

Here’s the latest from Maersk:

We are able to confirm that the crew of the Maersk Alabama is now in control of the ship.  The armed hijackers who boarded this ship earlier today have departed, however they are currently holding one member of the ship’s crew as a hostage. The other members of the crew are safe and no injuries have been reported.  We are working closely with the U.S. military and other government agencies to continue to respond to this situation as it develops further and will provide additional information as we are able.

Please contact Maersk Line Limited for further press inquiries:

Maersk Line Limited (switchboard): + 1 757 857 4800
http://www.maersklinelimited.com

—————

The U.S. flagged M/V Maersk Alabama has been hijacked by pirates approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) northeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia. The ship reportedly has 21 U.S. citizens aboard and is the first U.S. flagged vessel to be hijacked by Somali pirates. The NY Times reports that Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Program said the ship was taken about 400 miles (640 kilometers) from the Somali capital, Mogadishu and the crew is reporting that they are safe.  It is unclear at this point if that means the vessel is still under the control of pirates or the crew.

The statement issued by A.P. Moller Maersk:

This morning, at around 05.00 UTC, Maersk Alabama, a 1,100 TEU container vessel, was attacked by pirates and presumed hijacked. The US flagged vessel has a crew of 20 US nationals and is owned and operated by Maersk Line, Limited in the US.

The vessel is deployed in Maersk Line’s East Africa service network and was enroute to Mombasa, when it was attacked approximately 500 kilometres of the Somalia coast. Our initial concern is to ensure proper support of the crew and assistance to their families.

At this point in time we do not have any further information.