20 Americans Held Hostage By Somali Pirates

[revwardoc]

http://wbztv.com/national/americans.....2.979352.html

A spokesman for Maersk confirmed that 20 American nationals were aboard the Maersk Alabama cargo vessel when it was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Michael Stogaard, press officer for AP Moller/Maersk Group told CNN he couldn't comment on whether or not there was a security detail aboard the vessel when it was captured by pirates.

A Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel as the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama and said all the crew members are American. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. Navy confirmed that a U.S. flagged ship with 21 members of crew was hijacked early Wednesday off the eastern coast of Somalia.

Spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the attacked happened in the early hours of the morning hours, about 280 miles northeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia.

Christensen said there were U.S. citizens aboard the ship, but he did not say how many. He declined to release the name of the ship until the family members of the crew are notified.

He said the ship was operated by the Danish company Maersk, which deals with the U.S. Department of Defense. Christensen said the vessel was not working under a Pentagon contract when hijacked.

Maersk Kenya Managing Director Rolf Nielsen said the company was still verifying reports of the hijacking. An U.S. embassy spokeswoman was not immediately able to confirm the incident.

Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said the ship was taken about 400 miles from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The vessel is the sixth to be seized within a week and the first with an all-American crew.

__________________________________________________ _________________

Correct me if I'm wrong but dont' we have warships in that area to prevent something like this?

[SEATJERKER]

...

...when are we just going to wipe them off the map ?,...

...Seems that nothing good has ever come out of there, and at this stage, it's getting to close to home with them attacking an American flagged ship,...

...Poof, take twenty of ours, take 200,000 of theirs, period,...

...

[David]

AP


WASHINGTON – Across the national security establishment, the United States urgently sought answers Wednesday for what is believed to be the first pirate attack against Americans in 200 years — a U.S.-flag ship hijacked off the coast of Somalia.

President Barack Obama's chief spokesman said the White House was assessing a course of action. Press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that officials there monitoring the incident closely. Said Gibbs: "Our top priority is the personal safety of the crew members on board."

The White House offered no other immediate details about what actions it was considering.

The UK Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa) (MSC(HOA)) issued a news release stating that a Danish-owned, US-operated 17,000 ton container ship was seized in the Indian Ocean approximately 400 miles east of Mogadishu, and said the crew was believed to be safe.

A senior Navy official said the administration was talking to the shipping company to learn "the who, what, why, where and when" of the incident in which the Maersk Alabama and a crew of some 20 people was seized by pirates.

This official refused to say what, if any, plans the U.S. had for trying to free the ship and its hostages. Officials said they didn't know whether a ransom demand had been made by the pirates.

"Now we're in the information gathering phase, really ... sharing information with the company," the Navy official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record while facts remained sketchy.

Reports coming into the Pentagon said carried varying estimates of the number of American crew members. Some said 21, others said 19. It was not immediately clear the nature of the ship's cargo is, although one report said that it might be food aid.

At least 12 of the Americans aboard the Maersk Alabama are members of the Seafarers International Union, spokesman Jordan Biscardo said. The union is trying to get as much information on the situation as it can, he said.

"It goes without saying we're deeply concerned and we're closely monitoring the story," Biscardo said.

Biscardo would not immediately release the names of the union members aboard the vessel. The Seafarers International Union represents unlicensed United States merchant mariners sailing aboard U.S.-flag vessels.

The Maritime Center said the ship had been tentatively identified as the Maersk Alabama, If so, it would be the first US-flag vessel taken by the Somali pirates and the crew would be the first American citizens captured by pirates in about 200 years.

The center's Web site describes it as an organization run by the European Union's Naval Force and said that it is "tasked to safeguard merchant shipping operating in the region by preventing and deterring acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, off the Horn of Africa and in the Somali Basin. This site provides information and guidance for the shipping community."

Though the ship is the sixth seized within a week in the dangerous region around Africa, Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said it was the first pirate attack "involving U.S. nationals and a U.S.-flagged vessel in recent memory."

A second Defense Department official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had no information on the number of pirates or any details of the attack.

But a third official, asked if there were any casualties during the hijacking, said United Kingdom maritime officials had been able to contact the vessel and were told "everyone is OK."

The crew first reported being under attack, then said that pirates had already boarded the ship, according to "talking points" prepared by the U.S. government for briefing reporters about the situation.

Though the company has had some Defense Department contracts it was not on a Pentagon job when attacked, the talking points said.

The hijacking comes one day after international maritime officials issued a warning on the area.

Following a series of attacks off the eastern coast of Somalia, the Combined Maritime Forces issued an advisory Wednesday highlighting several recent attacks that occurred hundreds of miles off the Somali coast and stating that merchant mariners should be increasingly vigilant when operating in those waters.

"While the majority of attacks during 2008 and early 2009 took place in the Gulf of Aden, these recent attacks off the eastern coast of Somalia are not unprecedented," the advisory provided by Navy officials in Washington said. "An attack on the large crude tanker Sirius Star in November 2008 occurred more than 450 nautical miles off the southeast coast of Somalia."

The advisory said the "scope and magnitude of problem cannot be understated."

The nearest ship from the international coalition working against pirates in the region was hundreds of miles away from the Maersk Alabama.

[SuperScout]

Latest news I saw on the FNC is that the crew has regained control of the ship, apparently taking it back from the pirates.

These maritime thugs operate out of little rubber Zodiac boats, sometimes more than 100 miles out to sea. Do the numbers, boys and girls - Zodiacs are not designed to travel that far off shore - too unstable a platform, too much fuel to haul around, etc. etc. So there must be a 'mother ship' in the area that these leeches are running to and from their raids. We have the technology to follow these thus back to the mothership, then call in for firepower to render them all crab bait. Kill 'em all. Let the denizens of the ocean enjoy some thug meat for a change.

[revwardoc]

Figures, it takes an all-American crew to teach people what to do with pirates. I think they should use the remaining pirate to re-institute the practice of keelhauling.

[phuloi]

Fluid story...Heard that the scumbags have the US skipper as hostage.
At the first sign of trouble the Pentagon should scramble a squadren of F-22s and turn the cannons loose.

[PHO127]

We just need to go in and wipe out their bases, them, and everybody/thing within a surrounding 10 mile radius just to make sure.

[39mto39g]

Our wimp ass administration is not going to do any Navy or Marine action against these terrorist. Obama might send the same letter he sent to N. Korea after they launched a missile. I would guess there are many special forces units that are standing there with their tongs hanging out waiting for the go ahead.
I wonder, like every time Americans are taken hostage, What are Americans doing there?
Why are Americans taking a boat load of food to Africa? Why were 200+ Americans in Iran when Carter was King. Americans get kidnapped all over the world, What are they doing there?
It's seems to be pretty easy, Stay in America.
That being said. We, Americans, should make a very big example out of these terrorist, I can think of a few nasty things to do to them.

Ron

[SuperScout]

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.
[Translation: after sucking up to the Saudi king, with a bow fit for the movie, "The King and I," ol' Barry Baby doesn't want go pissing off his new Muslim friends...]


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. [Translation: there was nothing on the TelePrompter of the United States that said anything about the pirates.]

[phuloi]

Can you say: "Jimmy Carter?"