Africa
Somali pirates not cowed by global solidarity
The US Navy destroyer Bainbridge is seen in Crete, Greece in this handout photo taken October 8, 2007. The Bainbridge arrived before dawn on April 9, 2009 off the Somali coast, where the captain of the Maersk Alabama, a U.S.-flagged freighter, has been taken hostage by pirates, the shipping line said. REUTERS
Posted Thursday, April 9 2009 at 18:20
The botched hijack of a Danish-owned, US-operated cargo ship by Somali pirates on Wednesday makes a mockery of efforts by the US and the European Union which have deployed warships to patrol the troubled waters.
Other countries such as Japan, Pakistan, India, Germany, France, China, Iran and South Korea have dispatched warships to fight piracy off the Somalia coast.
The Wednesday attack marked the first capture of an American seamen by Somali pirates in recent history.
Latest reports by Reuters news agency that the 20 American crew aboard the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama freighter re-took control of the vessel after a confrontation with armed pirates, far out in the Indian Ocean.
The bandits have seized another five vessels in the past one week.
The ship which was carrying food aid from the World Food Programme and Catholic charities, was destined for Mombasa when it was attacked 450 kilometres southeast of Eyl, the “capital” of pirates.
The pirates sank their boats after boarding the Alabama but the crew offered them the ship’s lifeboat and some money to leave.
Mr Ken Quinn, a second mate, told CNN that took one of the pirates hostage but his accomplices fled with captain Richard Phillips in the lifeboat.
A second mate is an assistant in merchant ship.
Deputy captain Shane Murphy said they freed the pirate in exchange of Phillips, but the bandits stuck with him demanding fat ransom.
US navy destroyer USS Bainbridge had sailed closer to the lifeboat to rescue Mr Phillips.
Mr Philips is the first American to be held hostage by Somali pirates in recent history, and the move may add a different dimension to sea banditry in the Horn of Africa.
The tricky option
His capture is a major test for US President Barack Obama whose government will be confronted with the tricky option of negotiating ransom with bandits-linked to terror groups or order military action.
Mr Obama’s foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said his boss was monitoring the situation closely.
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