In April 2009 the world at large watched in frustration when they discovered that the Maersk Alabama cargo ship that was near the coast of Africa had been hijacked by Somali pirates.  This hijacking made news around the world as people anxiously awaited to see what would become of hostage Capt. Richard Phillips.
Mixed emotions [...]

Just as we foretold yesterday, the piracy story is far from over.
Several things are happening at the same time in the aftermath of the now famous – or infamous, depending on where one’s loyalties and sympathies lie – rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips.
While Americans extolled the U.S. Navy snipers and declared Phillips and the SEALs [...]

The ordeal is finally over for Capt. Richard Phillips, captain of hijacked ship Maersk Alabama, who was taken as a hostage by four pirates off the coast of Somalia. He has been held in a lifeboat floating on the Indian Ocean since the attack on his ship last Wednesday, after he volunteered to stay with [...]

When we first did a feature on maritime piracy, the United States had no one of its own being held captive by modern-day pirates. This all changed, however, when last Wednesday the 508-foot, 17,000 ton container ship Maersk Alabama was hijacked by four armed gunmen while on its way to Mombasa, Kenya from Djibouti.
The vessel [...]