![]() ![]() The Controversyġ1 members of the Maersk crew have sued Maersk Line and the Waterman Steamship Corp. Īttempts to take the Maersk have failed 3 more times since the Captain Phillips event. The film received Academy award recognition in 2014, and was nominated for 6 Oscars.Ī second unsuccessful hijacking attempt on the Maersk happened that same year. At 6:30 am on November 18, 2009, the Maersk Alabama was reportedly sailing some 350 nautical miles east of Somalia when it was fired upon by four pirates wielding automatic weapons and traveling in a skiff. The assault failed after guards on the ship responded with small arms fire and acoustical weapons. Afterward, a Djibouti-based patrol plane flew to the scene and an EU ship searched the area. Here’s video of his return home.įollowing the hijacking, Phillips published a book titled A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea.Ĭolumbia pictures cast Tom Hanks to star as Captain Phillips. A court ruled that he was not a juvenile and sentenced him to 33 years in prison. His parents pleaded for leniency stating that he was only 16 at the time of the kidnapping. Head pirate Muse was arrested aboard the Bainbridge. While head pirate Muse was on board the Bainbridge, citing an immediate threat to Philips’ life, Commander Frank Castellano, with prior consent from President Barack Obama, ordered Navy snipers from the famed Seal Team 6 to open fire on the pirates – killing all three. They then bound him, beat him, and performed mock executions on him. ![]() The pirates spotted him in the water and fired warning shots over his head and recaptured him. While one of the pirates was relieving himself, the Captain pushed him into the water and began to swim towards the Bainbridge. The lead pirate Abduwali Muse (played by Barkhad Abdi in the film) boarded the USS Bainbridge to address a wound he had received during the takeover of the Maersk, and begin negotiations for Phillips. On April 9th, the USS Bainbridge intercepts the lifeboat and a standoff begins. The Maersk was eventually given a US military escort to its final destination. The whole crew’s like, ‘What!?’ Everybody’s in shock.” -CNN “We weren’t going to say anything, and then we hear this PR stuff coming out about him giving himself up, and he’s still hostage. “We vowed we were going to take it to our grave,” says the Maersk Alabama’s Chief Engineer Mike Perry. Maersk Alabama lifeboat where Captain Phillips was held hostageĭespite media reports to the contrary and poetic license in the 2013 film, Captain Phillips never offered his life for that of his crew. The pirates took the cash, but demanded much more. The pirates boarded the Maersk, despite the crew being able to sink the pirate’s boat by swinging the rudder and scuttling the smaller attack boat.Ĭaptain Phillips was taken hostage, and offered the pirates $30,000 in petty cash they had on board for their release. The crew fired flares and sprayed water hoses at the pirates. Hoping the pirates would be monitoring his communications, Captain Phillips faked a phone call to the US Navy disguising his voice to play the role of the Navy responder, stating “We’re on our way.” It worked, and 3 of the pirate vessels aborted their pursuit, but one remained. The Maersk was conducting a fire drill just before the pirates arrived, and Phillips curiously ordered the crew to continue with the drill, despite the pirates being less than 7 nautical miles out. As I told the crew, it would be a matter of when, not if… We were always in this area.” I didn’t believe 1,200 miles would make you safe. “I don’t believe 600 miles would make you safe. When asked why he decided not to take the ship farther offshore, Phillips testified, Phillips ignored the numerous warnings that urged him to go farther out to sea. One day later, the Maersk was on a voyage from Oman to Kenya when it was attacked by 4 Somali pirates only 240 nautical miles southeast of the Somali port city of Eyl. Maersk Alabama Container Ship leaving Oman ![]()
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