Hostage Fails in Attempt to Flee From Pirates

[Cosmin M.]

April 11, 2009

Hostage Fails in Attempt to Flee From Pirates

Caleb Kenna for The New York Times

Karen Williams, left, and Carol Coggio tied ribbons at the home of Capt. Richard Phillips, the pirates' hostage, in Underhill, Vt.

By MOHAMMED IBRAHIM and SHARON OTTERMAN

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The American ship captain taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean jumped into the water from their slow-moving lifeboat in an attempt to escape early Friday, but he was quickly recaptured, a defense official said.

The standoff near the coast of Somalia intensified Friday as American naval reinforcements moved toward the scene. There were also reports that the pirates, desperate to reach shore with their captive, had themselves called in additional vessels and men.

French authorities, meanwhile, said they had sent forces to end a separate hostage taking by pirates elsewhere off Somalia, one of the most notoriously lawless stretches of international waters.

The French forces moved to retake a yacht that had been hijacked last weekend, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said in a statement. The operation left one hostage and two of the pirates dead. Four other hostages, including a child, survived, and three pirates were captured.

American defense officials, though having dispatched more warships, have so far been reluctant to take such an aggressive approach in the incident involving Capt. Richard Phillips, who was seized Wednesday when four Somali pirates commandeered his American-flagged container ship, the Maersk Alabama.

The Navy has since asked F.B.I. officials expert in hostage negotiations for help. The F.B.I negotiators, based in Quantico, Va., were in contact with the pirates via a communications link on the U.S.S. Bainbridge, an American warship that was within sight of the lifeboat, the officials said.

American embassy officials in Nairobi were also trying to enlist the leverage of clan elders in Somalia to persuade the pirates to free the captain, Somali officials said.

The lifeboat holding the captain and four pirates appeared to be moving slowly toward the Somali coast, United States defense officials said. They discredited earlier reports that the lifeboat was adrift and had run out of fuel.

Even so, they said, the covered vessel was probably moving no more than 3 to 4 knots, meaning it was still days from its presumed destination.

Captain Phillips was in the water for a short period before the pirates hauled him back on board, said an American defense official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the matter.

Later, the captain was seen “safe and sound” back on board the lifeboat, the official said. The incident was monitored by Navy P-3 aircraft and drones launched from the Bainbridge. The official also said he did not know whether the Navy had an opportunity to attempt a rescue of the captain during the brief period he was in the water.

“I couldn’t tell you the standoff distance of the ship or whether they could have taken direct action,” the official said.

The Alabama, the first American vessel to be captured by pirates in some 200 years, was briefly commandeered on Wednesday, before its unarmed American crew of 20 managed to overpower the pirates and retake command.The pirates then retreated into a large enclosed lifeboat, taking Captain Phillips hostage. They are apparently seeking a cash ransom.

Alerted by a distress call, the Bainbridge, a Navy destroyer on patrol in the region because of pirate activity, arrived on the scene Thursday to take the lead in negotiating his release.

Two residents reached by telephone in the town of Xarardheere, in central Somalia, said the pirates were being sent small boats with supplies, weapons and more pirates from allies onshore.

Somali officials disputed the claims, saying that the pirates involved in the raid on the Maersk Alabama were from the northern Somali city of Eyl, and that pirates in Xarardheere — some 230 miles south along the Somali coastline — were from a different clan and would not be interested in cooperating.

The Somali officials, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the pirates who raided the American ship were returning from hijacking another ship, which they had in captivity.

That was why only four pirates raided the Alabama, they said, adding that, usually, the pirates work in teams of three or four boats, with four to five pirates in each. The Associated Press reported that the allies of the pirates were also sending larger ships — including previously hijacked ships with hostages still aboard — to serve as shields for the lifeboat. That report could not be verified.

The Maersk Alabama departed from the area at the Navy’s request on Thursday and proceeded to Mombasa, its intended destination, said a spokesman for the ship’s owner, Maersk Line, Ltd., based in Norfolk, Va. It is a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk.

The father of the ship’s second-in-command, Capt. Shane Murphy, told news organizations that the ship now had an armed guard of 18 men, and that it was due to arrive there Saturday.

A pirate based in Xarardheere said the pirates holding Captain Phillips were fearful of a standoff with the American Navy and had decided to defer talks about a ransom until they had made it back to shore, The Associated Press reported.

“They had asked us for reinforcement, and we have already sent a good number of well-equipped colleagues, who were holding a German cargo ship,” the pirate, identified only by the name, Badow, was quoted as saying.

“We are not intending to harm the captain, so that we hope our colleagues would not be harmed as long as they hold him,” Badow said. “All we need, first, is a safe route to escape with the captain, and then ransom later.”

Piracy is big business in Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991. Last year, some $80 million in ransoms were paid for the release of ships. There have already been more than 60 attacks this year off the Somali coast, with more than 16 ships still in pirates’ hands as ransom negotiations continue, according to a spokesman for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Mohammed Ibrahim reported from Mogadishu, Somalia, and Sharon Otterman from New York. Elisabeth Bumiller contributed reporting from Washington, and Jeanette Coombs from Paris.

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When I posted it on here, it had been updated only 17 minutes go on NYTimes.

[phkrause]

Yes dgrimm the whole family needs are prayers.

pk

[Dr. Shane]

We are discussing this issue in the politics section of World Affairs already.

[Cosmin M.]

This isn't necessarily politics...

[Dr. Shane]

Trust me. It is. And if it isn't. It soon will be. Threads like this shouldn't be in Townhall.

[phkrause]

So than change it!

pk