Arming ships averts piracy, engineer says

If armed guards had been aboard the Maersk Alabama on April 8, Mike Perry says, he would never have had to fight with a Somali pirate, the pirates would never have boarded and his captain would never have been taken hostage.

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Reuters: Seized tanker's captain dies, Alabama attacked again

2 for 1 article - Captain of a chemical tanker was killed during a pirate attack and the Maersk Alabama ('famous' for having an American crew that was attacked by pirates) was attacked again...but thankfully their security detachment fended off the attack.


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U.S. Capt. Richard Phillips' rescue from Somali pirates moves closer to silver screen

It's more 'entertainment' than 'news' but I thought this was interesting. Hijacking, hostage situations, and piracy in general have been (sadly) a common occurence in maritime transport. However, when an all-American crew is on board and a hostage is taken, let's make a movie and milk it for all it's worth.

Let's be real, people will probably see it for the drama, the Navy SEALs, and taking down a bad guy. But when people leave the theater, I hope they realize that the pirates taken down in this encounter are part of a much larger pirate population. And that, even though this crew is safe and no ransom paid, it is not always the case.

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