Results tagged “somalipirates”

Sailor William Rios has returned to his Harlem home after the confrontation with Somali pirates on the Maersk Alabama container ship. He told the Daily News that he wasn't afraid during the ordeal, "I'm from New York City - nothing's feared in New York City. I'm not from the country. I'm from New York. We don't fear nothing - you don't mess with New York City, especially a black Puerto Rican." Rios, who has been a merchant marine for 25 years, admitted that his crew "messed up" when they were unable to exchange the Somali pirate they took as a hostage for their captain, Richard Phillips but says he'll be back on the water, "That's my youth - I love the sea. We deal with pirates and terror. I'll be back there - it's just my job." Rios, who told his church about the experience this morning, has suggested more security and more patrols in the waters, as well as for crew members to be better armed.

Military officials say that Somali pirates attacked a ship owned by a Long Island company yesterday. Newsday reports, "Somali pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at [the ship...which was]...carrying humanitarian aid." The Liberty Sun's crew, none of whom were injured, was escorted by the Navy through the Horn of Africa.

After the U.S. Navy killed three Somali pirates holding an American container ship captain hostage, pirates have seized four ships in 48 hours. BBC News reports the most recent was a Greek-managed ship with 22 Filipino crew members. NATO Lt. Commander Alexandre Fernandes told Reuters news agency, "There was only three minutes between the alarm and the hijack... They attacked at night, which was very unusual. They were using the moonlight as it's still quite bright."

With the U.S. Navy's rescue of an American container ship captain—and the killings of three Somali pirates who were holding him hostage—other pirates are promising to retaliate. One told the AP, "From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them [the hostages]. [U.S. forces have] become our No. 1 enemy." Another said, "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," while a third said, "Next time we get American citizens... they [should] expect no mercy from us."

The Defense Department said that Captain Richard Phillips, the Alabama Maersk container ship captain who was taken hostage by pirates, had tried to escape by jumping into the water but his captors followed and retrieved him. It's believed Phillips was trying to swim to the U.S.S. Bainbridge, a naval destroyer that's been in contact with the pirates.