Maersk Alabama repels 2nd pirate attack with guns

[VeeVee]

Maersk Alabama repels 2nd pirate attack with guns

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091118/ap_on_bi_ge/piracy

NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire and a high-decibel noise device.

A U.S. surveillance plane was monitoring the ship as it continued to its destination on the Kenyan coast, while a pirate said that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday with 28 North Korean crew members on board had died of wounds.

Pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days. Navy SEAL sharpshooters freed Phillips while killing three pirates in a daring nighttime attack.

Four suspected pirates in a skiff attacked the ship again on Tuesday around 6:30 a.m. local time, firing on the ship with automatic weapons from about 300 yards (meters) away, a statement from the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said.

An on-board security team repelled the attack by using evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which can beam earsplitting alarm tones, the fleet said.

Vice Adm. Bill Gortney of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the Maersk Alabama had followed the maritime industry's "best practices" in having a security team on board.

"This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they're in high-risk areas," Gortney said in a statement.

However, Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community.

"Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade."

A self-proclaimed pirate told The Associated Press from the Somali pirate town of Haradhere that colleagues out at sea had called around 9 a.m. — 2 1/2 hours after the attack.

"They told us that they got in trouble with an American ship, then we lost them. We have been trying to locate them since," said a self-described pirate who gave his name as Abdi Nor.

A U.S. Navy P-3 surveillance aircraft "is monitoring Maersk Alabama and has good voice communication with the vessel," said Lt. Nathan Christensen, the Bahrain-based spokesman for the 5th Fleet.

"Everything is safe and secure and Maersk Alabama is proceeding to their intended destination," Christensen said. The ship was heading for the Kenyan port town of Mombasa.

Maritime experts said it was unlucky but not unprecedented that the Maersk Alabama had been targeted in a second attack.

"It's not the first vessel to have been attacked twice, and it's a chance that every single ship takes as it passes through the area," Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. "At least this time they had a vessel protection detachment on board who were able to repel the attack."

Phillips' ordeal last spring galvanized the attention of the U.S. public to the dangers of operating merchant ships in the Horn of Africa, one of the busiest and most precarious sea lanes in the world.

Underscoring the danger, a self-proclaimed pirate said Wednesday that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday had died of wounds suffered during the ship's hijacking. The pirate, Sa'id, who gave only one name for fear of reprisals, said the captain died Tuesday night from internal bleeding.

The EU Naval Force has said the Virgin Islands-owned chemical tanker the Theresa was taken Monday with 28 North Korean crew.

Pirates have greatly increased their attacks in recent weeks after seasonal rains subsided. On Tuesday, a self-proclaimed pirate said that Somali hijackers had been paid $3.3 million for the release of 36 crew members from a Spanish vessel held for more than six weeks — a clear demonstration of how lucrative the trade can be for impoverished Somalis.

Phillips told the AP last month from his farmhouse in Vermont that he was contemplating retiring from sea life after his ordeal. He's been given a book deal and a movie could be in the works.

Phillips was hailed as a hero for helping his crew thwart April's hijacking before he was taken hostage, but he says he never volunteered, as crew members and his family reported at the time. He says he was already a hostage when he struck a deal with the pirates — trading him for their leader, who was taken by the Maersk Alabama's crew.

[Last Resort]

They should make it a point not just to "repel" these hijackers, but to blow them to pieces. These pirates are getting bolder and bolder. I was VERY impressed with the way the seal team handled the first hijacking. No negotiation, just well placed bullets.

[Berks_Iraq_Vet]

Kill pirates, no more pirates. Seems simple, but insensitive, to me. People just love complicating the uncomplicated today.

[LisaA]

... Vice Adm. Bill Gortney of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the Maersk Alabama had followed the maritime industry's "best practices" in having a security team on board.

"This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they're in high-risk areas," Gortney said in a statement.

However, Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community...

So, the international community has done what? BOO HOO. Hurray for the Americans!

[ChamberedRound]

They should make it a point not just to "repel" these hijackers, but to blow them to pieces. These pirates are getting bolder and bolder. I was VERY impressed with the way the seal team handled the first hijacking. No negotiation, just well placed bullets.

Kill pirates, no more pirates. Seems simple, but insensitive, to me. People just love complicating the uncomplicated today.

Agreed. A few of the lessons learned by Robert McNamara, which he detailed in the Erol Morris documentary, "The Fog of War", apply quite well here:

LESSON #9: IN ORDER TO DO GOOD, YOU MAY HAVE TO ENGAGE IN EVIL.
LESSON #5: PROPORTIONALITY SHOULD BE A GUIDELINE IN WAR.
LESSON #4: MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY.

It's too bad more people don't understand that when provoked by an aggressor, force is often the only way to solve the problem.

[FormerUser123]

Of course, the British are offended by the fact that the American vessels are hiring armed guards, despite the fact that it just deterred an attack this morning... Typical "Well we know it is effective, and it sure saved your hides today, but you shouldn't do it anyway because we thing guns are evil and should only be in the hands of the British Imperial Army and the Royal Guard."

[VeeVee]

"Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade."

Very naive.

In a perfect world, ... sure. It's a nice situation to aspire to and hope for, and it's probably like that in most seas around the world. But that doesn't help the ship that falls prey to the pirates in the gulf of Aden/Somali waters now and today.

Are you going to look reality in the face or continue seeing the nice fantasyland in your mind? Are you going to learn from the past recent events and take responsibility or be in denial?

The company that owns the Maersk Alabama obviously declared that they will never let their crews fall into the same situation again. Good for them. They saw reality and took responsibility.

[ChamberedRound]

Of course, the British are offended by the fact that the American vessels are hiring armed guards, despite the fact that it just deterred an attack this morning...

Too bad. When they're in international waters, they can do whatever they need to. And as long as the guns are properly stored and logged, then docking at port shouldn't be an issue either. I don't know where some people's heads are. I would NEVER sail international waters on any vessel without protection. It's about as lawless as it gets out there.

And if I were Maersk, or any other shipping company whose vessels sail international waters flying US flags, I'd save myself a lot of money and just train/certify the crew in the use of whatever weapons are on board. Hiring addition security crew is a huge expense.

[pyld]

I was VERY impressed with the way the seal team handled the first hijacking. No negotiation, just well placed bullets.

There was negotiation which allowed the tow rope which is what shortened the range to allow the well placed bullets.

Whacking pirates = good. But it's not simply a matter of having weapons. Understanding the entire situation and acting accordingly to whack said pirates is the way to go.

[mojo]

Who needs the sound device ... just get a few RPGs and no more pirates.