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| Africa Horn |
| Pirate ships converge on US hostage at sea |
| 2009-04-10 |
| Looks like they wanna raise the stakes... NAIROBI, Kenya – Escalating a dramatic Indian Ocean standoff, more U.S. warships — as well as pirate reinforcements with an international gallery of hostages — rushed Friday toward the spot where four Somali bandits are holding a U.S. sea captain aboard a drifting lifeboat. The pirates apparently fear being shot or arrested if they hand over Capt. Richard Phillips — captured in a failed effort to seize the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday — and hope to link up with their colleagues who are using Russian, German, Filipino and other hostages captured in recent days as human shields. U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus said U.S. warships also are headed to the area, more than 300 miles (480 kilometers) off Somalia's Indian Ocean coast. "We want to ensure that we have all the capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days," he said. Pirates have been holding Phillips hostage aboard the lifeboat since his crew thwarted the attack Wednesday on the 17,000-ton U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. Mohamed Samaw, a Somali resident of the pirate stronghold in central Eyl town, who claims to have a "share" in a British-owned ship hijacked Monday, said four foreign ships previously captured by pirates are heading toward the lifeboat. A total of 54 hostages are on two of the ships, citizens of China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Tuvalu, Indonesia and Taiwan. "The pirates have summoned assistance — skiffs and motherships are heading towards the area from the coast," said a Nairobi-based diplomat, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. "We knew they were gathering yesterday." Samaw said two ships left Eyl on Wednesday afternoon. A third sailed from Haradhere, another pirate base in central Somalia, and the fourth one was a Taiwanese fishing vessel seized Monday that was already only 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the lifeboat. He said the ships include the German cargo ship Hansa Stavanger, seized earlier this month. The ship's crew of 24 is made up of five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians, two Filipinos and 12 Tuvalus. Another man identified as a pirate by three different residents of Haradhere also said the captured German ship had been sent to the rescue. "They had asked us for reinforcement and we have already sent a good number of well-equipped colleagues, who were holding a German cargo ship," said the pirate who asked that only his first name, Badow, be used to protect him from reprisals. "We are not intending to harm the captain, so that we hope our colleagues would not be harmed as long as they hold him," Badow said. "All we need, first, is a safe route to escape with the captain, and then (negotiate) ransom later," he added. Phillips thwarted Wednesday's takeover of the Maersk Alabama 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, 53, surrendered himself to the bandits to safeguard his men, and four of the Somalis fled with him to an enclosed lifeboat, the relatives said. The freighter that was the target of the pirates headed away from the lifeboat Thursday, Maersk shipping line said, and a teams of armed Navy SEALs is on board, according to a U.S. official who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation. The Alabama was sailing toward the Kenyan port of Mombasa — its original destination — and was expected to arrive Saturday night, said Joseph Murphy, a professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy whose son, Shane Murphy, is second-in-command of the vessel. FBI hostage negotiators started Thursday to work with the U.S. military to secure Phillips' release. The sea captain has a radio and has contacted the Navy and the crew of the Alabama to say he is unharmed, Maersk said. Company spokesman Kevin Speers told AP Radio the lifeboat was out of fuel and "dead in the water." Most of the lifeboats are about 28 feet (8.5 meters) long and carry water and food for 34 people for 10 days, said Joseph Murphy. The lifeboats are covered and Murphy, speaking after a briefing by the shipping company, said he suspects the pirates have closed the ports to avoid sniper fire. Maersk said the lifeboat is within sight of the USS Bainbridge, the Navy destroyer that arrived on the scene earlier Thursday. Gen. Petraeus said other warships would arrive shortly. U.S. officials said the guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton was among ships en route. 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. Although pirates release the vast majority of their hostages unharmed, 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. More. Looks like he tried to make a break for it... WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Department officials say the American boat captain held by Somali pirates tried to escape but was recaptured. Captain Richard Phillips jumped over the side of the small lifeboat where he has been held for two days and began swimming. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about unfolding operations, say Phillips was retaken by the pirates after he jumped from the boat around midnight local time in open ocean off the Somali coast. A U.S. Navy ship patrolling nearby was able to see Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the pirate's boat. The defense officials think he is unharmed. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #34 Oferkristesake. Now conservatives are racebaiting. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-10 23:39 |
| #33 Well, Obama won't fire on his BLACK BROTHERS in order to protect a white man . . . yeah, they could have ended it when the captain jumped ship. |
| Posted by: donkeyshop 2009-04-10 21:00 |
| #32 WAFF.com > STRATEGYPAGE - WHY THE[Somali/African] PIRATES ARE IMMUNE FROM ATTACK? The Somali Pyraaates now operate as far east the SEYCHELLES ISLANDS. The SOMALI RADICALIST GROUP AL-SHABAAD has warned KENYA NOT to interfere with its armed gunmen along the coasts - EITREA + SUDAN are prob sympathetic towards the Somali pirates. The pirates are not only well-armed and vilently aggressive, but are also MEDIA-SAAVY [read, POLITICAL]??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-04-10 20:55 |
| #31 Kimmie, AhmedNeedsJihad and Hugo Chivas must be telling their ad visors, "See, I told you we can role these guys!" |
| Posted by: HammerHead 2009-04-10 20:41 |
| #30 FAR SIDE > Well, this should'nt last long. Pragmatically, "MARITIME JIHAD/PYRI-I-I-TE NAVAL CAMPAIGN" > IIRC Pirate Histoirez they will wage a LT ACTIVE DEFENSE all along the African coasts, ultimately toward the DEFENSIVE MISSLE-AIR UMBRELLAS OF NUCLEARIZING IRAN +INCREASINGLY MILTERR TRUUUBLED INDIA. HIDDEN FACTORS = Islamist destabilzation of EGYPT, SAUDIS, + ETHIOPIA??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-04-10 19:38 |
| #29 Obama's response to the pirates: "Uhhhh Ummm....Present!" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-10 18:55 |
| #28 I think if I'm George W. Bush right now I'm really, really happy that I never did anything about these pirates for the simple reason that now I get to watch and laugh while Bambi tries to deal with this particular situation. Somebody's gonna have to pay the ransom for that captain and there won't be a damn thing Bambi can do about it. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2009-04-10 17:35 |
| #27 This "government" can't protect it's citizens along our own border. How can we expect to be protected 10,000k's away on the high seas? Forget it, we're toast with Barry and this bunch. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-10 17:03 |
| #26 Wouldn't it be nice to have a government that would actually protect its citizens by going after the bad guys? It appears that being captured by pirates is bad, but hoping a giggling Hildebeast will protect you is worse. |
| Posted by: whatadeal 2009-04-10 16:54 |
| #25 I think we best get this thing resolved one way or the other before their pirate buddies show up. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 16:17 |
| #24 Ships without rudders don't steer too well... |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-04-10 16:06 |
| #23 The those with more naval knowledge than I do: How difficult would it be to lay up the other ships the pirates haveheading toward the scene? Not a sink'em thing, just a stop the ships ability to move thing. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-10 15:48 |
| #22 As for trying to sink the lifeboat (Boston Whaler), probably wouldn't work too well. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-04-10 15:46 |
| #21 Somali pirates holding an American hostage on a drifting lifeboat want $2 million for his release, a fellow pirate onshore said on Friday. Bad deal. How about a counter offer? How about they pay us $2,000,000 and they live a little longer. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-10 15:40 |
| #20 The guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton... I knew it! Halyburton, man! Halyburton! What's next, like, the USS Exxon, man! Like, what does this guy, like, know, man! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 15:25 |
| #19 Oh, and one more thing. Don't expect Obama to do a military solution. Period. |
| Posted by: Unutle Brown8234 2009-04-10 15:24 |
| #18 Big Zero to FBI Negotiators "Dang. Forgot to include the Somalis in the bail out bill. Tell em we're working on it, then Congress needs to vote on it, and remember, we are not at war with you." |
| Posted by: Unutle Brown8234 2009-04-10 15:19 |
| #17 MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates holding an American hostage on a drifting lifeboat want $2 million for his release, a fellow pirate onshore said on Friday. The pirate, speaking to Reuters from Haradheere port, also said other pirates were taking a hijacked German ship, with foreign crew on board, toward the scene in the Indian Ocean where the lifeboat is floating, watched by U.S. warships. "Knowing that the Americans will not destroy this German ship and its foreign crew, they (the approaching pirates) hope they can meet their friends on the lifeboat," said the pirate, who has given reliable information in the past but asked for his name not to be used. "Our friends (on the lifeboat) hope for $2 million ransom as well as their own safety," he added. ...and, A second US warship -- this one bearing helicopters -- arrived Friday off the Somali coast amid a tense standoff with pirates holding a US ship captain whose recent escape attempt failed, the Pentagon said. The guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton "is on site, in the vicinity" of the small lifeboat where pirates are holding Captain Richard Phillips hostage, said US Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman. The Halyburton "brings helicopters" to the volatile scene, said Whitman, who declined to say if the warship was within view of the lifeboat adrift in the Indian Ocean. The US destroyer on site, the USS Bainbridge, has been monitoring the lifeboat but has no helicopters, another US official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer was also in the region but further away than the other two vessels, he added. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 15:16 |
| #16 The President has to make a decision or not. He and Hilarity have to consult. She is an expert with regards to the Barbary Pirates. They have to make certain no involved or not involved countries aren't being insulted and whether or not we need to apologize to anyone now or later. Being a lawyer, he has to check with a bevy, flock, or herd of lawyers. The lawyers will have to approve any targets which could take a really long time--particularly if they have to file a lawsuit against the pirates. There is the lawsuit complaint and then the interrogatories and answers to the interrogatories for both sides. Then there are the depositions of witnesses and expert witnesses. And then the motions. And then the trial... We're down the road a few years and some good paydays for the attorneys. I'm beginning to worry about the captain about this time. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-10 14:37 |
| #15 If Obama fails to give an ok for taking the pirates out, this captains life is on his head. It's his administration and he's the power behind it. We should have already resolved this when the captain got away the first time. |
| Posted by: Charles 2009-04-10 14:16 |
| #14 The latest... A Somali in contact with a pirate leader said the captors want a ransom and are ready to kill the hostage, Capt. Richard Phillips, if attacked. The pirates' strategy is to link up with their colleagues, who are holding Russian, German, Filipino and other hostages, and get Phillips to lawless Somalia, where they could hide the hostage and make it difficult to stage a rescue, the Somali said. That would give the pirates more leverage and a stronger negotiating position to discuss a ransom. Anchoring near shore also means they could get to land quickly if attacked. The Somali, who helped negotiate a ransom last year to pirates after they seized a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said he has talked with a pirate leader in Somalia who helped coordinate the failed effort to seize the Alabama. He said the pirate leader had been in direct contact with the lifeboat via a satellite phone but lost contact after Phillips' captors threw the phone—and a two-way radio dropped to them by the U.S. Navy—into the ocean, fearing the Americans were somehow using the equipment to give instructions to the captain. They acted after Phillips' failed effort to escape. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 13:41 |
| #13 I suppose our national shipment of FAIL has arrived. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-04-10 13:27 |
| #12 If I am waiting on the idiot whitehouse to get this captain back, than maybe I need to sink it to. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-04-10 11:24 |
| #11 Is that big natural gas carrier still hostage? If so its a perfect time for it to have a catastrophic in port accident. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-04-10 11:12 |
| #10 Supposedly the "Pirate Armada" has about 55 'hostages' from previous hijackings on their boats. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-04-10 11:07 |
| #9 The Navy has got to be pissed about their hands tied on this. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-10 11:07 |
| #8 Actually, this is starting to look like a pirate flypaper tactic. The booty boyz phone home for help and all their boyfriends come out to help, only to be taken out by the US Navy once they try to engage. |
| Posted by: spiffo 2009-04-10 10:56 |
| #7 Just about time for the 'Waging Law' pic ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-04-10 10:47 |
| #6 Here's an idea. How about a Carrier Air Wing overflys Eyl and Haradhere? Just to say 'hi"... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-10 10:31 |
| #5 Mental image of this zombie pirate navy lurching, lurching... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-04-10 10:22 |
| #4 When the pirates transfer themselves and the captain to one of the arriving hostage ships, it's check mate at best. Our options are rapidly shrinking. |
| Posted by: Keystone 2009-04-10 10:18 |
| #3 Appears the Navy and the SEALS hands are tied until the State Department lawyers and/or the White House, Attorney General tells them to act. I can't imagine they would NOT have that lifeboat under 24x7 sniper night vicion coverage. The frustration from USN operators must have been intense when Captain went overboard. I'm sure they want to ventilate that life boat with sniper fire. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-10 10:13 |
| #2 So why did the Navy not sink the lifeboat when the captain jumped out? |
| Posted by: Keystone 2009-04-10 10:02 |
| #1 Very aggravating. 4 dolts in a life boat hold the US at bay. I wouldnÂ’t be half surprised to see if they get away with that. Have to admit it, they have balls. It will be interesting to see what happens when their armada arrives. Sounds like they are more organized then we are. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2009-04-10 09:59 |