The Maersk Alabama Hijacking is one of the most famous incidents of piracy in recent years. The ship, a cargo container ship owned by Maersk Line Limited and operated by Waterman Steamship Corporation, was the first U.S. ship to be seized in an incident of piracy since the Second Barbary War in 1815. The incident occurred from April 8 - 12, 2009, 240 miles off the coast of Somalia, and ended in the killing of 3 pirates and arrest of 1. The incident inspired book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Stephan Talty and Captain Richard Phillips, as well as the 2013 film Captain Phillips.
The Maersk Alabama contained a crew of 23 and 17,000 metric tons of cargo, bound for Mombasa, Kenya when it was attacked by 4 Somali pirates on April 8, 2009. The ship’s crew disabled control of the ship before entering a secure room built for such an event. As the pirates realized they could not effectively control the ship,Captain Phillips escorted the pirates to the ship’s lifeboat. The pirates then fled in the lifeboat, taking Captain Phillips as a hostage.
The United States Navy dispatched the USS Bainbridge and the USS Halyburton, both of which arrived on scene early on April 9th. A standoff began between the Bainbridge, the Halyburton, and the lifeboat. 3 pirates were onboard the lifeboat, and the fourth was on the Bainbridge, having been injured in the initial ship attack and been captured by the crew. The pirates aboard the lifeboat agreed to be towed by the Bainbridge with several hundred yards of cable, as Navy and FBI hostage negotiators communicated with the pirates via satellite phone. The pirates’ strategy was to reach shore and combine Phillips with other hostages on shore in an attempt to extort ransom money. Negotiations began to deteriorate late on April 10th as the pirates’ frustration grew. Reportedly, the pirates stated via satellite phone,
The Maersk Alabama contained a crew of 23 and 17,000 metric tons of cargo, bound for Mombasa, Kenya when it was attacked by 4 Somali pirates on April 8, 2009. The ship’s crew disabled control of the ship before entering a secure room built for such an event. As the pirates realized they could not effectively control the ship,Captain Phillips escorted the pirates to the ship’s lifeboat. The pirates then fled in the lifeboat, taking Captain Phillips as a hostage.
The United States Navy dispatched the USS Bainbridge and the USS Halyburton, both of which arrived on scene early on April 9th. A standoff began between the Bainbridge, the Halyburton, and the lifeboat. 3 pirates were onboard the lifeboat, and the fourth was on the Bainbridge, having been injured in the initial ship attack and been captured by the crew. The pirates aboard the lifeboat agreed to be towed by the Bainbridge with several hundred yards of cable, as Navy and FBI hostage negotiators communicated with the pirates via satellite phone. The pirates’ strategy was to reach shore and combine Phillips with other hostages on shore in an attempt to extort ransom money. Negotiations began to deteriorate late on April 10th as the pirates’ frustration grew. Reportedly, the pirates stated via satellite phone,
“We are safe and are not afraid of the Americans. We will defend ourselves if attacked.”
On April 11th, The Maersk Alabama was escorted by the Navy to safety at Mombasa, Kenya, where it was received by the FBI and processed as a crime scene. On April 12th, U.S. Navy SEAL marksmen from SEAL Team 6 killed the pirates onboard the lifeboat with three simultaneous headshots, fired from the stern of the Bainbridge. Captain Phillips was rescued, having received no major injuries. The 4th pirate, Abduwali Muse, was taken to the United States, where he was later tried and sentenced to 33 years in prison.
This incident, while very notorious, begins the decline of piracy in Somalia. According to the U.S. Navy Office of Information, attempted ship boardings and hostage taking reached a high in 2010, with 182 incidents and 52 vessels successfully hijacked. However, there were 2 incidents and no successful hijackings in 2013, and no reported incidents in 2014. While piracy still exists in many parts of the world, current security measures and anti-piracy crew training are adequate to deal with the problem and limit future incidents. If all else fails, call the U.S. Navy.
This incident, while very notorious, begins the decline of piracy in Somalia. According to the U.S. Navy Office of Information, attempted ship boardings and hostage taking reached a high in 2010, with 182 incidents and 52 vessels successfully hijacked. However, there were 2 incidents and no successful hijackings in 2013, and no reported incidents in 2014. While piracy still exists in many parts of the world, current security measures and anti-piracy crew training are adequate to deal with the problem and limit future incidents. If all else fails, call the U.S. Navy.