Pirates have US boat captain

[MikeyB]

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

Pirates are high tech now using navigation lol

By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writers Elizabeth A. Kennedy And Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press Writers – 33 mins ago
NAIROBI, Kenya – FBI hostage negotiators joined U.S. Navy efforts Thursday to free an American cargo ship captain held captive on a lifeboat by Somali pirates. A U.S. destroyer and a spy plane kept a close watch in the high-seas standoff near the Horn of Africa, and more U.S. ships were dispatched to the area.

The pirates tried to hijack the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama on Wednesday, but Capt. Richard Phillips thwarted their takeover by telling his crew of about 20 to lock themselves in a room, the crew told stateside relatives.

The crew later overpowered some of the pirates, but Phillips surrendered himself to the bandits to safeguard his crew, and at least four of them fled with him to an enclosed lifeboat, the relatives said. It was the first such attack on American sailors in about 200 years.

Kevin Speers, a spokesman for the Maersk shipping company, said the pirates have made no demands yet to the company and the captain's safe return is its top priority.

The Maersk Alabama is again sailing toward the Kenyan port of Mombasa — its original destination, according to Capt. Joseph Murphy, a professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy whose son, Shane Murphy, is second in command. A person reached by The Associated Press by phone on the bridge of the vessel confirmed: "We're moving."

A U.S. official, speaking on grounds of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, also said a military team of armed guards was aboard the Maersk Alabama. Joseph Murphy said there were 18 guards aboard.

Earlier Thursday, the USS Bainbridge arrived near the Maersk Alabama and the lifeboat with the pirates and Phillips, Speers told AP Radio, adding that the lifeboat was out of fuel and "dead in the water."

The U.S. Navy sent up P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and had video of the scene.

More U.S. ships will be in the area within 48 hours, said Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command. He did not give specifics, but said "we want to ensure that we have all the capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days."

The lifeboats usually are about 28 feet long, designed to hold a maximum of 34 people, and made of reinforced Fiberglas, Joseph Murphy said. They carry water and food for 34 people for 10 days and with portholes closed, no one can see inside, he added.

President Barack Obama, facing one of his first national security tests, declined to comment on the standoff. Attorney General Eric Holder said the FBI was assisting the Navy.

"We're in contact with the people on the scene off the coast of Africa," he said. "The FBI people are here at Quantico and so they are using telecommunications means to stay in touch with them."

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko described the bureau's hostage negotiating team as "fully engaged" with the military on ways to retrieve Phillips.

One senior Pentagon official, speaking on grounds of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, described it now as a "somewhat of a standoff."

Though officials declined to say how close the Bainbridge is to the pirates, one official said of the bandits: "They can see it with their eyes." He spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of talking about a military operation in progress.

The Bainbridge was among several U.S. ships that had been patrolling in the region when the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was attacked. It was the sixth vessel to be hit by pirates in a week.

After the pirates came aboard the Maersk Alabama, Phillips told the rest of his crew by radio to lock themselves away in a room, according to the wife of Ken Quinn, a second mate on the vessel.

"He said the pirates were desperate," said Zoya Quinn of Bradenton, Fla., who spoke to her husband via phone and e-mail. "They were going all over the stairs, back and forth, trying to find them and they couldn't find them."

Quinn and the crew held one of the pirates for about 12 hours before releasing him in hopes of winning Phillips' freedom, she said, adding that the crew communicated with the bandits with hand signals until they left with the captain.

Quinn said he dressed an injured pirate's cuts with bandages "because he was bleeding all over the ship," she said, adding it was unclear how he was hurt.

The Maersk Alabama is expected to arrive in Kenya on Saturday, said Murphy, who spoke to the shipping company.

"From the standpoint of the families, we're ecstatic," he said. "The families, the crew themselves have been under a lot of stress."

Somali Foreign Minister Mohamed Omaar told the AP that the pirates "have got themselves into a situation where they have to extricate themselves because there is no way they can win."

Phillips' family was at his Vermont farmhouse, anxiously watching news reports and taking telephone calls from the State Department.

"We are on pins and needles," said Gina Coggio, 29, half sister of Phillips' wife, Andrea. "I know the crew has been in touch with their own family members, and we're hoping we'll hear from Richard soon."

Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to keep the crew safe, Coggio said.

"What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," she said. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain."

Steve Romano, a retired head of the FBI hostage negotiation team, said he doesn't recall the FBI ever negotiating with pirates before, but he said this situation is similar to other standoffs. The difficulty will be negotiating with people who clearly have no way out, he said.

"There's always a potential for tragedy here, and when people feel their options are limited, they sometimes react in more unpredictable and violent ways," Romano said.

The question now, he said, is: "How much do they value their own lives? Because their only motivation now is to try to survive this incident."

With one warship nearby and more on the way, piracy expert Roger Middleton of the London-based think tank Chatham House said the pirates were in "a very, very tight corner."

"They've got only one guy, they've got nowhere to hide him, they've got no way to defend themselves effectively against the military who are on the way and they are hundreds of miles from Somalia," he said.

Other analysts say the U.S. will be reluctant to use force as long as one of its citizens remains hostage. French commandos, for example, have mounted two military operations against pirates once the ransom had been paid and its citizens were safe.

Many of the pirates have shifted their operations down the Somali coast from the Gulf of Aden to escape naval warship patrols, which had some success in preventing attacks last year.

Ship owners often do not arm their crews, mainly because of the cargo. A Saudi supertanker hijacked last year was loaded with 2 million barrels of oil. The vapor from that cargo was highly flammable; a spark from firing a gun could cause an explosion.

There is also the problem of keeping the pirates off the ships — once they're on board, they will very likely fight back and people will die.

Pirates travel in open skiffs with outboard engines, working with larger ships that tow them far out to sea. They use satellite navigational and communications equipment, and have an intimate knowledge of local waters, clambering aboard commercial vessels with ladders and grappling hooks.

Any blip on a ship's radar screens is likely to be mistaken for fishing trawlers or any number of smaller, non-threatening ships that take to sea every day.

It helps that the pirates' prey are usually massive, slow-moving ships. By the time anyone notices, pirates will have grappled their way onto the ship, brandishing AK-47s.

___

Kennedy reported from Nairobi, Apuzzo from Washington. Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington, Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Ray Henry in Bourne, Mass., John Curran in Underhill, Vt., and Christine Armario contributed to this report.

[jameznyhc]

Somebody get our commander in chief his teleprompter so he can finally give a comment ... what a joke ..Guess he cant "multitask" any longer huh

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama declined to answer reporters' questions on Thursday on a hostage crisis off the coast of Somalia, where a U.S. ship captain is being held captive by pirates.
Obama was asked to comment on the situation several times by reporters at a White House event on refinancing for homeowners. Obama, however, stuck closely to the script and replied that he wanted to remain focused on housing.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marke...01101720090409

[Rover]

does this really warrant a response from the president? the FBI is on it, what is him addressing it going to do? are they going to hang over the ships captain b/c obama asked them to? no, probably not.

if he took time out to address every instance of a US citizen being detained somewhere in the world, he'd be a much busier man than he is now.

[jameznyhc]

does this really warrant a response from the president? the FBI is on it, what is him addressing it going to do? are they going to hang over the ships captain b/c obama asked them to? no, probably not.

if he took time out to address every instance of a US citizen being detained somewhere in the world, he'd be a much busier man than he is now.

if you were a family member you bet it does.. one president lost an election over a hostage crisis .. leon klinghoffer made headlines around the wortld when he was tossed overboard by islamic militants .. so yeah when our service men or civilians are kidnapped you best believe its his business to respond and have a solution

[Rover]

you're right. the fact that the FBI is involved does nothing to raise my confidence in the fact that our president is fully aware of whats going on over there. additionally, has it ever occured to you that him avoiding to address the situation could be due to the sensitivity of the matter and not just his "ignorance" or "defiance" to address it?

and great correlation btw. you're comparing a bunch of dumbshit pirates with rusty AK47's to the PLO..does it ever fucking stop with you? you'll pretty much grab @ anything to make a point

[jameznyhc]

you're right. the fact that the FBI is involved does nothing to raise my confidence in the fact that our president is fully aware of whats going on over there. additionally, has it ever occured to you that him avoiding to address the situation could be due to the sensitivity of the matter and not just his "ignorance" or "defiance" to address it?

and great correlation btw. you're comparing a bunch of dumbshit pirates with rusty AK47's to the PLO..does it ever fucking stop with you? you'll pretty much grab @ anything to make a point

they may be smarter and more ruthless .. they made of with 30 million in 2008 not bad huh? .. once again your ignorance is blind as you know nothing about what your talking about .. its quit a sophisticated operation

[jameznyhc]

FBI?? did you say Rover .. lmao try naval warships are on the mission ..he is the Commander in chief correct?

[jameznyhc]

A U.S. warship arrived before dawn Thursday near a 28-foot lifeboat holding four pirates and the kidnapped captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, officials said.


The USS Bainbridge, a guided-missile destroyer, is heading to the area to assist.

1 of 2 Also nearby was the Maersk Alabama -- which had been seized early Wednesday off the Horn of Africa. All 20 of its remaining crew members were in good physical shape, said Ken Quinn, second officer of the ship, in a satellite call placed by CNN.

"There's four Somali pirates, and they've got our captain," Quinn said.

Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers said the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge was near the Maersk Alabama and that its crew was talking to the Navy.

"When the Navy comes in, they're in charge," Speers told CNN.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa...ked/index.html

[Rover]

yes..the FBI is involved.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090409/ap_on_re_af/piracy

and ..if US warships r shadowing the lifeboat...and he's the commander in chief...does this not mean HE IS FULLY AWARE OF WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON??

[Rover]

A U.S. warship arrived before dawn Thursday near a 28-foot lifeboat holding four pirates and the kidnapped captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, officials said.


The USS Bainbridge, a guided-missile destroyer, is heading to the area to assist.

1 of 2 Also nearby was the Maersk Alabama -- which had been seized early Wednesday off the Horn of Africa. All 20 of its remaining crew members were in good physical shape, said Ken Quinn, second officer of the ship, in a satellite call placed by CNN.

"There's four Somali pirates, and they've got our captain," Quinn said.

Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers said the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge was near the Maersk Alabama and that its crew was talking to the Navy.

"When the Navy comes in, they're in charge," Speers told CNN.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa...ked/index.html

whats your point? you said yourself hes the commander in chief and our navy is now involved. does that not mean that hes not involved and fully aware? what the hell are you trying to say??

[Rover]

yes the Navy is in charge..so theyve called in FBI negotiators

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7991114.stm

again..wheres your point james?

[James Maxx]

They should just have military troops with missile launchers on the ship if any of those Somali speedboats get withing visual range you blow them to pieces. What are they gonna do? They have no government the country is either poverty stricken starving people or bandits and thieves.

[James Maxx]

Its messed up to say but I hope they do something to this captain and Obama goes apeshit and cleans out that "region"

[jameznyhc]

yes the Navy is in charge..so theyve called in FBI negotiators

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7991114.stm

again..wheres your point james?

why he has absolutly nothing to say???. .and why a news conference on housing is more important to him .. just seems very odd

[jameznyhc]

whats your point? you said yourself hes the commander in chief and our navy is now involved. does that not mean that hes not involved and fully aware? what the hell are you trying to say??

i dont know he not talkin about it ..lol..where the leadership?

[Rover]

why he has absolutly nothing to say???. .and why a news conference on housing is more important to him .. just seems very odd

you're a clown and completely desperate @ this point. why is a news conference on housing more important? i dont know. it may have to do something with the economy..not exactly sure. wish i could understand why a discussion on the housing market could be so important at this time...

i dont know he not talkin about it ..lol..where the leadership?

clown. complete clown with this statement. you know you're wrong and yet you're reaching. pathetic

[jameznyhc]

you're a clown and completely desperate @ this point. why is a news conference on housing more important? i dont know. it may have to do something with the economy..not exactly sure. wish i could understand why a discussion on the housing market could be so important at this time...



clown. complete clown with this statement. you know you're wrong and yet you're reaching. pathetic

what am i wrong about? the president seems not to be even interested the way he barely responded .. seems weak and inexperienced and lacking leadership in time of crisis .. i would definitly expect the President to respond... i guess its not important to you so it doesnt faze you

[jameznyhc]

So lets examine .. since his election an american journalist being held against her will in Iran .. we have 2 female reporters (lucy liu's sister and another) being held in North Korea... We have an american ship over taken ..we have NK testing nukes the day he is in europe talking against nukes.. he wont do anything tangible .. and now he hiding ... what else i mean he in over his head ..he a left wing community organizer probally has no clue what to say ..except apologize to europe for us liberating them oops i mean for our arrogance

[Rover]

if the president wasnt interested there wouldnt be navy warships shadowing the lifeboat at this moment, or negotiators speaking with the pirates. you may have heard this oft uttered cliche but actions speak louder than words

[jameznyhc]

if the president wasnt interested there wouldnt be navy warships shadowing the lifeboat at this moment, or negotiators speaking with the pirates. you may have heard this oft uttered cliche but actions speak louder than words

there wouldnt be a response?? ok rover ..