After the attack on the American cargo ship “The Alabama” April 8, 2009, shipping liners fear that action and adventure on the high seas may be returning to the open waters.
Mitchell Thompson, senior in international business management from Tampa, Fla., said, “Its kind of funny to me that there are pirates. But I don’t think they are any different from any other terrorist group, they are just on the water.”
An unnamed sailor from the Maersk Alabama said the entire 20-member crew had been taken hostage on April 8, but managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiated their own release.
In a bold act, Captain Richard Phillips, from Vermont, volunteered to go with the pirates as a hostage under the condition that they left the rest of his crew on the ship. The crew kept their own hostage who they released after 12 hours, but the Somali pirates failed to release the Captain.
“What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage,” said Gina Coggio, 29, half sister of Phillips’ wife. “That is what he would do. It’s just who he is and his responsibility as a captain.”
President Barack Obama was following the situation closely, vowing to “halt the rise of piracy.” The White House gave instructions to the USS Bainbridge: If the captain’s life is in danger, attack.
After over 100 hours in captivity, U.S navy sharpshooters ended the hostage situation by shooting the three pirates holding Phillips on a small boat.
Taylor Beebe, recent graduate in international business management from Birmingham, Mich., said, “This Captain’s selfless act personifies heroism in its truest form. I think that his crew mates should consider themselves fortunate to have a Captain who is willing to risk his life to ensure their safety.”
With the worst now behind us and all of the of the Maersk Alabama crewmembers safe, what remains to be seen is the fate of the only surviving pirate, Abduhl Wali-i-Musi, 17, arrived in New York City on Monday, April 20. A law enforcement official commented that the teenager is to be charged, as an adult, with piracy and hostage taking at a federal level. Because the charges have not yet been announced, the official wished to remain anonymous.
Kit Elledge, sophomore in accounting from Fresno, Calif., said, “The captain seems like a good guy, but Obama acted a little [slowly]. I’m glad that it’s all been resolved and everything is good now.”
Source: CNN
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