Pirates Attack Maersk Alabama, Again

(AP)  Updated at 9:10 a.m. Eastern time

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 cargo ship as it steamed on to its destination.

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.

Somali pirates attacked the ship with automatic weapons early Wednesday about 350 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, but guards on board the craft fired back and thwarted the attempted hijacking.

Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force, called it "pure chance" that the Maersk Alabama had been targeted a second time.

"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," Harbour said. "At least this time they had a vessel protection detachment on board who were able to repel the attack."

An EU patrol aircraft from the Horn of Africa nation Djibouti was called in to investigate, and the closest EU Naval Force vessel was tasked with searching for the pirate attack group, the EU Naval Force said in a statement.

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.

Pirates have greatly increased their attacks in recent weeks after seasonal rains subsided. On Monday, 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 Associated Press 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.

[nostraden]

Why dont they Just Have some NUKES on BOARD and Nuke them ?

[YourVeryWrong]

The folks in Somalia will see me no more,
When I run Alabam' ashore.

[stn_sage]

In this modern age of advanced technology, there is NO reason to continually be putting up with these armed pirates! Period.

All these cargo ships should be armed, and the military or the crew of the cargo ships should destroy these pirates when they get the chance!

[jgg000015]

the US Navy was created specifically to battle these same pirates during the Barbary Wars. Send in the freaken navy already!

[KabulsHere]

Our Kenyan President is so weak that even Pirates dont respect our flag anymore.Sad.

[exusmc8541]

Merchant seamen are just that sailers.
Some one has to sail the boat keep her on course and running.
When attacked by armed priates it takes men skilled in combat operations. I would say all American ships should have Marines on board but our active service personal are needed elsewere.
But if you allow us older Ex Marines such as myself a chance at a job on board ship with the experiance we have at combat.
It would not be long before the problem was resolved.
And we would be happy to do it. If we look at the huge ammount of money these people want us to pay to return our people and equipment then the cost of putting a 12 man squad on board would be cheap.
Just food for thought.
Most of us Ex Marine folks have our own weapons and more than enough training. With a little help from our active Marine friends and a few supplies that we do not have like a 203 or so many other great tools of our trade a two week training course with qualification at the end of the course to prove we are still up to speed and ready.
Send us in. I personally know of 10 Ex Marines including myself that would love to get back aboard ship.

[doch48]

Ex AF myself, so you need some Intel to go with these gyrenes <grin> MEAFSA was my specialty. Msifurahie chakula chenu


Happy to do it, they covered my posterior well; and you mess with a "Gunny", probably the last mess you get into for a while.

[exusmc8541]

Merchant seamen are just that sailers.
Some one has to sail the boat keep her on course and running.
When attacked by armed priates it takes men skilled in combat operations. I would say all American ships should have Marines on board but our active service personal are needed elsewere.
But if you allow us older Ex Marines such as myself a chance at a job on board ship with the experiance we have at combat.
It would not be long before the problem was resolved.
And we would be happy to do it. If we look at the huge ammount of money these people want us to pay to return our people and equipment then the cost of putting a 12 man squad on board would be cheap.
Just food for thought.
Most of us Ex Marine folks have our own weapons and more than enough training. With a little help from our active Marine friends and a few supplies that we do not have like a 203 or so many other great tools of our trade a two week training course with qualification at the end of the course to prove we are still up to speed and ready.
Send us in. I personally know of 10 Ex Marines including myself that would love to get back aboard ship.

[doch48]

A new thought. In Seattle, we have a single building which contains more lawyers than all of Japan.

Let's put all of these lawyers on the Maersk Alabama, and have them negotiate with the pirates.

I view this as a win-win for civilization.

[mollydtt]

Repelling fire and sound---they were too nice.
Why not just obliterate the pirate vessel. The thought of perhaps meeting their maker could make them think a lot harder about their futures as pirates.

[wwudiver]

Letters of Marque and Reprisal- look it up. Shell the coastline, leave the smart bombs onboard. The widespread public support for this campaign is allowing them to launch large and more effective raids. You cannot mount a mission like this without a significant support structure. There is no reward for them stopping and there is no deterrent from them continuing.

[doch48]

Being dead is a great deterrent. Works every time.