Somali Pirates Seize Maersk Alabama With 20 Americans (Update1)
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By Gregory Viscusi
April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Pirates captured the container ship Maersk Alabama and its crew of 20 Americans off Somalia in what Navy officials said may be the first seizure of a U.S. ship in four years of attacks.
Pirates in the region have taken more ships in the past four days than in the first three months of the year. In recent days, pirates have launched assaults outside their usual hunting grounds in the Gulf of Aden.
The seizure represents the second foreign-affairs challenge for President Barack Obama in less than a week. On April 5 North Korea launched a ballistic missile in defiance of international demands that it cease such activities.
Today’s pirate attack took place about 240 miles southeast of the Somali port of Eyl, Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy, said by telephone from Bahrain. The closest warship was 300 miles away, he said.
It’s the first seizure of Americans and a U.S. vessel since a Maritime Protection Corridor was set up in the Gulf of Aden in August and may be the first since the pirates’ activity intensified in 2006, the U.S. Navy spokesman said.
Denmark’s Maersk A/S is the owner of the Maersk Alabama which is operated by Maersk’s U.S. unit. The ship can carry 1,100 20-foot (6-meter) containers and has a crew of 20 Americans, Maersk said in a statement. It was bound for Mombasa, Kenya. Earlier reports described it as a tanker.
The U.S. Navy yesterday issued a new warning about the dangers of piracy off the coast of Somalia after at least five ships were seized in three days.
Recent Hijackings
Pirates in recent days have hijacked a British-owned general cargo ship, a French yacht, a German container ship, a Taiwanese trawler, and a Yemeni tugboat.
Most of these assaults have been well to the south of the Gulf of Aden, where naval forces from the EU, the U.S., Turkey, Russia, India and China have concentrated efforts to protect one of the world’s most traveled trade routes and where most attacks have previously occurred.
A total of 165 ships were attacked last year with 43 vessels hijacked, peaking at 10 in November alone.
About one-tenth of world trade passes through the Gulf of Aden, a required route for vessels using the Suez Canal. While fewer commercial ships ply the east coast of Somalia, there are also fewer warships to deter attacks.
Pirates struck 1,000 miles south of the Gulf of Aden, seizing the 20,000 ton German-flag container ship Hansa Stavanger on April 4 between the Seychelles and the Kenyan coast. The ship, managed by Leonhardt and Blumberg, has a crew of 24 and was taken 400 miles from shore.
French Yacht Hijacked
A Taiwanese vessel, identified as the MV Win Far 161, was seized near the Seychelles with 30 on board.
A French yacht was also seized two days ago along the east coast of Somalia as it made its way to Zanzibar, a tourist and spice island off the coast of Tanzania.
The European Union’s Atalanta anti-piracy fleet is reconsidering where to position its five warships, a spokesman said yesterday. Meanwhile, it’s using maritime patrol planes to search out pirate ships and warn merchant vessels of areas to avoid, he said.
The U.S. Navy said yesterday that merchant ships have to take steps to defend themselves, citing recent attacks that have been fought off using barbed wire, fire hoses, or increasing speed to create a wake.
The area of potential Somali pirate attacks is equal to the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined, or to four times France or Texas.
-- With reporting by Christian Wienberg in Copenhagen. Editors: Julian Nundy, Peter Torday
To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at [email protected].
Last Updated: April 8, 2009 11:12 EDT
Share | Email | Print | A A A
By Gregory Viscusi
April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Pirates captured the container ship Maersk Alabama and its crew of 20 Americans off Somalia in what Navy officials said may be the first seizure of a U.S. ship in four years of attacks.
Pirates in the region have taken more ships in the past four days than in the first three months of the year. In recent days, pirates have launched assaults outside their usual hunting grounds in the Gulf of Aden.
The seizure represents the second foreign-affairs challenge for President Barack Obama in less than a week. On April 5 North Korea launched a ballistic missile in defiance of international demands that it cease such activities.
Today’s pirate attack took place about 240 miles southeast of the Somali port of Eyl, Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy, said by telephone from Bahrain. The closest warship was 300 miles away, he said.
It’s the first seizure of Americans and a U.S. vessel since a Maritime Protection Corridor was set up in the Gulf of Aden in August and may be the first since the pirates’ activity intensified in 2006, the U.S. Navy spokesman said.
Denmark’s Maersk A/S is the owner of the Maersk Alabama which is operated by Maersk’s U.S. unit. The ship can carry 1,100 20-foot (6-meter) containers and has a crew of 20 Americans, Maersk said in a statement. It was bound for Mombasa, Kenya. Earlier reports described it as a tanker.
The U.S. Navy yesterday issued a new warning about the dangers of piracy off the coast of Somalia after at least five ships were seized in three days.
Recent Hijackings
Pirates in recent days have hijacked a British-owned general cargo ship, a French yacht, a German container ship, a Taiwanese trawler, and a Yemeni tugboat.
Most of these assaults have been well to the south of the Gulf of Aden, where naval forces from the EU, the U.S., Turkey, Russia, India and China have concentrated efforts to protect one of the world’s most traveled trade routes and where most attacks have previously occurred.
A total of 165 ships were attacked last year with 43 vessels hijacked, peaking at 10 in November alone.
About one-tenth of world trade passes through the Gulf of Aden, a required route for vessels using the Suez Canal. While fewer commercial ships ply the east coast of Somalia, there are also fewer warships to deter attacks.
Pirates struck 1,000 miles south of the Gulf of Aden, seizing the 20,000 ton German-flag container ship Hansa Stavanger on April 4 between the Seychelles and the Kenyan coast. The ship, managed by Leonhardt and Blumberg, has a crew of 24 and was taken 400 miles from shore.
French Yacht Hijacked
A Taiwanese vessel, identified as the MV Win Far 161, was seized near the Seychelles with 30 on board.
A French yacht was also seized two days ago along the east coast of Somalia as it made its way to Zanzibar, a tourist and spice island off the coast of Tanzania.
The European Union’s Atalanta anti-piracy fleet is reconsidering where to position its five warships, a spokesman said yesterday. Meanwhile, it’s using maritime patrol planes to search out pirate ships and warn merchant vessels of areas to avoid, he said.
The U.S. Navy said yesterday that merchant ships have to take steps to defend themselves, citing recent attacks that have been fought off using barbed wire, fire hoses, or increasing speed to create a wake.
The area of potential Somali pirate attacks is equal to the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined, or to four times France or Texas.
-- With reporting by Christian Wienberg in Copenhagen. Editors: Julian Nundy, Peter Torday
To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at [email protected].
Last Updated: April 8, 2009 11:12 EDT
