MV Maersk Alabama

Summary

Somali pirates boarded the US-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama approximately 240 nautical miles southeast of the Somali port of Eyl. Crew retreated to the citadel; four pirates gained partial control of the bridge. During negotiations, Master Richard Phillips was taken hostage on the ship's lifeboat as the pirates attempted to escape. USS Bainbridge intercepted the lifeboat. On 12 April 2009, US Navy SEAL snipers killed three pirates and captured the fourth; Master Phillips was rescued unharmed. The case became the founding modern American case for anti-piracy response + directly drove US-flag vessel armed-security-guard policy. Dramatised in the 2013 film 'Captain Phillips'.

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