She had a light-blue hull and a beige superstructure like all Maersk vessels, regardless of their flag of registry.[6] She was hijacked by pirates near Somalia in 2009 and her crew held hostage. Four additional unsuccessful hijacking attempts were made in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
History
Alva Maersk was built by China Shipbuilding Corporation, Keelung, Taiwan at yard number 676 and launched in 1998.[7] As Alva Maersk, She was flagged to Denmark. In 2004, Alva Maersk was renamed Maersk Alabama[1] and reflagged to the United States, with her operator, Maersk Line, Limited, based in Norfolk, Virginia.[2] She has been involved in seven incidents and was employed on Maersk Line's East Africa 4 service. Her regular route was from Mombasa, Kenya to Salalah, Oman, to Djibouti, and then returning to Mombasa.[2]
2004 detention
In 2004, the ship was detained in Kuwait after becoming the victim of an apparent fraud scheme. According to papers filed by the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2005, Kuwait-based expatriates scammed the Group out of millions of dollars. Low-value goods were allegedly shipped under the guise of fraudulent, high-value bills of lading. Maersk was subsequently sued for losing goods that had never existed. Those allegedly behind the scheme were able to detain Alva Maersk in Kuwait as collateral. The ship was released in April 2004 after the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group was forced to put up $1.86million as collateral.[8]
On April 7, 2009, the U.S. Maritime Administration, following NATO advisories, released a Somalia Gulf of Aden advisory to mariners recommending ships to stay at least 600 nautical miles (1,100km; 690mi) off the coast of Somalia. On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded Maersk Alabama when she was located 240nmi (440km; 280mi) southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl.[9] With a crew of 20, the ship was en route to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.[10][11]
The 28-foot lifeboat where Captain Richard Phillips and the four Somali pirates were held up as seen from a U.S. Navy Scan Eagle UAV.The Maersk Alabama lifeboat on which Captain Phillips was held hostage by Somali pirates in 2009 is on display at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.
According to Chief Engineer Mike Perry, the engineers sank the pirate speedboat shortly after the boarding by continuously swinging the rudder of Maersk Alabama thus scuttling the smaller boat.[12] As the pirates were boarding the ship, the crew members locked themselves in the engine room[13] while the captain and two other crew members remained on the bridge. The engineers then took control of the ship from down below, rendering the bridge controls useless. The pirates were thus unable to control the ship. The crew later used "brute force" to overpower one of the pirates,[13]Abduwali Muse, and free one of the hostages, Abu Thair Mohd Zahid Reza. Frustrated, the pirates decided to leave the ship, taking Phillips to a lifeboat as their bargaining chip. The crew attempted to exchange this captured pirate, whom they had kept tied up for twelve hours,[14] for Captain Phillips. The captured pirate was released, but the pirates refused to release Phillips in exchange. Since the battery had died on the open-air boat, they left in the ship's covered lifeboat, taking Phillips with them.[15] The lifeboat carried ten days of food rations, water, and basic survival supplies.[16] On April 8, the destroyer USSBainbridge and the frigate USSHalyburton were dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in response to a hostage situation, and reached Maersk Alabama early on April 9.[17]Maersk Alabama then departed from the area with an armed escort, towards her original destination in Mombasa, Kenya, with the vessel's Chief Mate Shane Murphy in charge.[13] On Saturday, April 11, Maersk Alabama arrived in the port of Mombasa, Kenya, still under U.S. military escort, where C/M Murphy was relieved by Captain Larry Aasheim, who had previously been captain of Maersk Alabama until Richard Phillips relieved him eight days before the pirate attack. An 18-man marine security team was on board.[17] The FBI secured the ship as a crime scene.[18]
Meanwhile, a standoff had begun on April 9 between Bainbridge and the pirates in Maersk Alabama's lifeboat, where they continued to hold Captain Phillips hostage.[19] Three days later, on Sunday, April 12, Navy marksmen opened fire and killed the three pirates on the lifeboat, and Phillips was rescued in good condition.[20][21]Bainbridge captain Commander Frank Castellano, with prior authorization from U.S. PresidentBarack Obama, ordered the action after determining that Phillips' life was in immediate danger, based on reports that a pirate was pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at his back.[22][23][24]U.S. Navy SEALsnipers on Bainbridge's fantail opened fire, killing the three pirates with bullets to the head.[25] One of the three slain was later identified as Ali Aden Elmi.[26] A fourth pirate, Abduwali Muse, aboard the Bainbridge and negotiating for Phillips' release while being treated for an injury sustained in the takeover of Maersk Alabama, surrendered and was taken into custody.[20][21] Muse's parents asked that he be pardoned because he was either 15 or 16 years old at the time of the incident, but in court, it was ruled that he was not a juvenile and would be tried as an adult.[26] He pleaded guilty to piracy charges and was sentenced to over 33 years in prison.[26][27]
The actual lifeboat in which Captain Phillips was held hostage is now on display at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce, FL.[28] An example of the Scan Eagle UAV used to monitor the crisis is also on display.[29]Captain Phillips, a film based on the hijacking, was released in 2013.
November 2009 pirate attack
At 6:30a.m. on November 18, 2009, Maersk Alabama was reportedly sailing some 350 nautical miles (650km) east of Somalia when she was fired upon by four pirates wielding automatic weapons and traveling in a skiff.[30][31][32] The assault failed after guards on the ship responded with small arms fire and acoustical weapons.[33] Afterward, a Djibouti-based patrol plane flew to the scene, and an EU ship searched the area.[34]
September 2010 suspicious approach of pirate skiff
On 29September 2010, the vessel was targeted by Somali pirates wielding AK-47s. The security forces on board Maersk Alabama repelled a skiff with five pirates approximately 1,530 kilometres (950mi) east of Somalia. The incident went unreported by the media until November 2010.[35]
March 2011 attempted hijacking
On 8March 2011, Somali pirates again targeted the vessel.[36] A security force on board the Maersk Alabama fired warning shots and turned the suspects away.[37]
May 2011 attempted hijacking
At midnight on 14May 2011, while transiting westbound in the internationally recognized corridor, Maersk Alabama was approached by a skiff of five pirates on the starboard stern. After turning to follow the ship's wake, the skiff quickly closed in to 30 metres (98ft), preparing to board via a hook ladder, at which point the embarked security team fired two shots into the skiff. The skiff quickly broke off, losing radar contact after 10 minutes.[38]
February 2014 deaths of two security contractors
On 19 February 2014, it was reported that two former Navy SEALs working as security contractors aboard the Maersk Alabama for the private security firm Trident Group were found dead aboard the container ship a day after she docked at Port Victoria, Seychelles.[39] Seychelles police officials reported that the autopsy found the cause of death to be "respiratory failure, with suspicion of myocardial infarction (heart attack)." The presence of a syringe and traces of heroin in the cabin led to a suspicion of drug use.[40] In April, following receipt of a toxicology report which found alcohol in the men's blood, police confirmed that death had been caused by consumption of alcohol and heroin.[41][42] As of 2018, the criminal investigation results in Seychelles had not yet been disclosed to the public.[41] Seychelles law enforcement released the vessel on February 24.[43] Both Maersk and Trident officially prohibit drug use on board their ships.[44]
↑ "Africa | FBI in hostage talks with Somalis". BBC News. 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2009-04-09. According to second mate Ken Quinn, the crew managed to capture one of the pirates and keep him tied up for 12 hours
↑ "2 former Navy SEALs found dead aboard ship at center of 'Captain Phillips' saga". Fox News. 2014-02-19. Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2014-10-23. Details of the contractors' deaths remain unclear, but they were not on watch and did not die while performing a security operation, Tom Rothrauff, the president of the Trident Group, said. He said an initial assessment of the scene did not suggest any foul play.
↑ Elizabeth Landau (2014-02-26). "Mystery shrouds 'Captain Phillips' ship deaths". CNN. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2014-10-23. Seychelles police say the autopsy found the cause of death to be "respiratory failure, with suspicion of myocardial infarction (heart attack)." The presence of a syringe and traces of heroin in the cabin have led to a suspicion of drug use, police said.
↑ "Heart attack and respiratory failure in Maersk deaths". BBC News. 2014-02-24. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Mark Daniel Kennedy, 43, and Jeffrey Keith Reynolds, 44, were found dead on 18 February as the ship was berthed in Port Victoria, the capital of the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles.
↑ Nicholas Kulish, Ian Urbina, Mark Mazzetti, Jeremy Alford, Christopher Drew, Kristina Rebelo, Susan Beachy, Kitty Bennett (2014-02-26). "Hired to Fight Pirates, but Doomed by Boredom". New York Times. Victoria, Seychelles. p.A1. Archived from the original on 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-10-23. While veterans, especially those returning from war zones, have shown a high prevalence of substance abuse and other risky behaviors, friends, family and acquaintances of the two men said they seemed to have adjusted well to civilian life after years in the military. They were known as much for their zest for life as their hulking physiques.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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