Hijacked US crew take ship back from pirates

The crew of a hijacked American ship retook the vessel today only hours after it was seized by pirates off Somalia.

The Maersk Alabama, captured near the country’s coast, was the first such hostage-taking involving US citizens in 200 years.

“The crew is back in control of the ship,” a Pentagon official said.

“It’s reported that one pirate is on board under crew control – the other three were trying to flee,” he said.

Another official said: “Multiple reliable sources are now reporting that the Maersk Alabama is now under control of the US crew. The crew reportedly has one pirate in custody. The status of others is unclear, they are believed to be in the water.”

The ship was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was hijacked.

It was the sixth vessel seized within a week, a rise that analysts attribute to a new strategy by Somali pirates who are operating far from the warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden.

A spokeswoman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said that it was the first pirate attack involving US nationals and a US-flagged vessel in recent memory.