Results tagged “usnavy”

Even though there's a stall in the Superfund debate, the EPA is moving forward with their work surrounding the Gowanus Canal. The Daily News now reports that they're pointing fingers at four more alleged polluters, all of whom could eventually have to help pay for the cleanup of the Canal. And they are (drumroll please): the U.S. Navy, Con Edison, chemical maker Chemtura, and... the city of New York!

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."

U.S. Naval warships are gathering around a fiberglass lifeboat carrying four Somali pirates and their hostage, Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips, whose container ship they tried to hijack. A Somali journalist told CNN that a German ship taken by other pirates attempted to reach the lifeboat (to aid their fellow pirates) in the Indian Ocean but turned back due to the U.S. presence. Phillips, described as the "consummate regular guy" by friends and family, attempted to escape yesterday but was recaptured; a childhood friend told the NY Times, "When he went for that swim today, it didn’t surprise me at all. He’s got good intuition, and he’s a very determined guy." The FBI is involved with the hostage negotiations (Defense Secretary Gates said Phillips' return was a "top priority"), which may be a long process—he pirates have demanded $2 million and safe passage. Additionally, French commandos rescued hostages from pirates in the Gulf of Aden, leaving one hostage and two pirates dead in the process.