Feral Jundi

    Oh boy, talk about embarrassing?  I salute Captain Richard’s attempt at escape, but I think he was probably thinking that the Navy would have taken advantage of the situation and step in to assist.  He was probably thinking ‘where is the rescue party?’, as he was desperately trying to swim away.  

    Worse yet, it sounds like more pirates are coming in to join the party.  There should be no contest, and I say capture or kill every last one of the bastards, and end this circus.  And for Pete’s sake, have a rescue team ready to go if the Captain makes another escape attempt.  Meanwhile, the Khat chewing Somali pirates on that lifeboat are probably tweaking out right about now because they are probably out of Khat.  –Matt 

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Pirates foil U.S. captain’s escape bid

In other hijackings, French navy storms sailboat, pirates release tanker

Last Updated: Friday, April 10, 2009 | 3:15 PM ET Comments252Recommend72

CBC News

A family photo shows Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt. Now a hostage, Phillips is the captain of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Maersk Alabama, which was the target of a hijack attempt Wednesday by Somalian pirates off the Horn of Africa.A family photo shows Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt. Now a hostage, Phillips is the captain of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Maersk Alabama, which was the target of a hijack attempt Wednesday by Somalian pirates off the Horn of Africa. (Associated Press)

The American captain being held by Somalian pirates made an unsuccessful attempt to escape Friday amid reports other pirates are moving more hostage-laden ships to the scene of the standoff.

Capt. Richard Phillips jumped over the side of the small lifeboat where he has been held for two days and started swimming in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, said officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pirates recaptured him and a U.S. navy ship patrolling nearby said they saw Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the covered lifeboat.

The incident occurred around midnight local time, said the defence officials, who believe Phillips remains unharmed.

Phillips is being held by four Somalian pirates who were part of a larger group that tried to hijack the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama in waters near the Horn of Africa on Wednesday.

The cargo ship’s crew thwarted the hijack attempt, but the pirates escaped in a lifeboat with Phillips. Reports say the 8.5-metre-long lifeboat has run out of fuel as U.S. naval ships move into the region.

An FBI hostage negotiator is working with American military officials aboard the USS Bainbridge, which is patrolling nearby.

Officials on the vessel are also communicating with the pirates via satellite phone.

U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus said U.S. warships are heading to the area.

“We want to ensure that we have all the capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days,” he said.

Capt. James Staples, a classmate of Phillips at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said he wasn’t surprised by the escape attempt.

“That just shows me that Richie’s still … strong, he’s thinking, he’s alert,” Staples said. “He’s going to take every opportunity he can to … to make the situation a lot better for himself and probably get home as quick as he can.”

Pirates send more ships

The pirates holding Phillips also appear to have called for their own reinforcements.

Reports from the pirate stronghold of Eyl, Somalia, suggest pirates there have sailed at least four other hijacked vessels toward the lifeboat to make it difficult for the U.S. to stage a rescue.

On those boats are dozens of hostages, including citizens of China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Tuvalu, Indonesia and Taiwan.

A Somalian man who lives in Eyl told the Associated Press the vessels included a German cargo vessel and Taiwanese fishing boat.

One of the pirates on the lifeboat told Reuters during a phone interview they are “not afraid of the Americans.”

“We will defend ourselves if attacked,” the pirate was quoted by Reuters as saying.

While U.S. President Barack Obama has not commented on the situation, he assigned top aides to reassure the country.

“These people are nothing more than criminals and we are bringing to bear a number of our assets, including naval and FBI, in order to resolve the hostage situation and bring the pirates to justice,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday.

“Piracy may be a centuries-old problem, but we are working to bring an appropriate 21st-century response.”

French, Norwegian ships freed

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden said the administration was working “around the clock” on the matter. Attorney General Eric Holder said the United States will “do what we have to do” to protect U.S. shipping interests against pirates.

Phillips is one of roughly 270 foreign hostages being held by Somalian pirates who plague the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

It’s believed 18 ships are being held.

There were developments Friday in two other hijackings by Somalian pirates:

    * One hostage and two pirates were killed when the French navy stormed a French sailboat hijacked Saturday in the Gulf of Aden. Four adults and one child were on board the ship, but it’s not clear who was killed.

    * Somalian pirates released a Norwegian-owned tanker after receiving a reported $2.9-million ransom payment from the vessel’s owner. The ship, which had been held since the end of March, had an international crew of 27.

Story Here