U.S. Crew in Standoff With Pirates Off Somalia Coast
By SHARON OTTERMAN and MARK MAZZETTI
Hours after pirates commandeered a United States-flagged container ship with 20 American crew members off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, the pirates and crew appeared to be in a standoff, with the ship under control of its crew once again but the skipper a captive of the pirates.
There were conflicting reports about the drama unfolding on the container ship, the Maersk Alabama — the first ship with an American crew to be seized by pirates in the Horn of Africa, one of the most notoriously lawless zones on the high seas. By late afternoon Washington time, when it was night off Somalia, the situation was unresolved, although there had apparently been no bloodshed.
Several American warships were headed for the area. The vessels reportedly included a destroyer, the U.S.S. Bainbridge, which can steam at more than 30 knots and can launch helicopters. Based on early reports that the closest ships were some 345 miles from the scene at the time of the hijacking, they could be expected to arrive in the area by late Wednesday night, Eastern time, or daylight Thursday off Somali.
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