Yesterday I put forward the idea that the crew of the Maersk Alabama only made things worse by fighting back against the pirates that attacked their ship. Here is link:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Well, it turned out that I was right that the ship's owner did not want the crew fighting back because it could only make a very difficult situation more dangerous:
John Reinhart, Chief Executive of Maersk Line Ltd (MAERSKb.CO) -- Maersk Alabama's owner -- said on Wednesday that company protocol also advised against violent action.
"Once boarded, the crew has safe rooms and they are not to take on active engagement because they have no weapons," he said. "It would be a risk to their lives."
http://www.reuters.com/...
I noticed yesterday during Mr. Reinhart's public statement that he said that Captain Phillips, the U. S. Government, and the U. S. Navy were hereos in this situation. He never mentioned the crew. Now we know why. The crew acted foolhardy and put the life of their Captain in very grave danger, not to mention members of the U. S. Navy, the some 200+ remaining hostages of the pirates, and all future shipping.
The fact is that the pirate situation is a world problem and will be solved by international co-operation and not by a crew of merchant marines. Indeed, the international maritime community already has a statement on what crews should do if attacked by pirates:
According to a set of best practices for ships off Somalia as laid out by 11 international agencies including the International Maritime Bureau issued in February, when attacked by pirates a vessel should speed up, take evasive action and even turn fire hoses on their attackers.
But once boarded, crews should "offer no resistance; this could lead to unnecessary violence and harm to crew."
http://www.reuters.com/...
And now the pirates are going to become more violent:
Somali Pirates Vow Revenge on U.S., France on Rescues
April 13 (Bloomberg) -- Somali pirates vowed to target American and French ships to avenge the death of five colleagues in two recent rescue operations, including the freeing of a U.S. captain yesterday.
"France and the U.S. will encounter unforgettable lessons," Mohamed Hashi Yasin, a self-declared pirate spokesman, said by mobile phone from the port town of Eyl. "We will treat every country as they treat us."
"We will take quick revenge on American ships if we don’t receive apologies," Yusuf Mohamed Mahdi, who identified himself as a pirate commander, said in a separate telephone interview today from Eyl. "We will not only target ships and crew in the sea, but also American agencies’ staff in Somalia."
http://www.bloomberg.com/...
I know this will bring out in force the John Waynes in all of us. "We don't let no stinkin' pirates dictate to us" they will say. I say bullshit!
Until the world community is ready to deal with this, and that includes the shipping companies willing to pay more for insurance to cover armed crew members, than the best we can hope for is that the pirates wanting cash and not blood. But that has changed, it seems.
I will not go over my entire argument from yesterday. I will only say that while we all are glad that Captain Phillips and the Navy Seals were not harmed, we should all be very thankful that the foolhardy actions of the crew did not result in a much more tragic outcome, and, we should hope that all future victims of pirate attacks do not receive brutal treatment that up till now has been avoided.
Update: We may already be seeing a more dangerous situation for Americans:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
Donald Payne, from New Jersey and a member of the foreign affairs committee, arrived in Mogadishu for talks with President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and his prime minister on rampant piracy off the country's coast.
He escaped unharmed and there were no injuries.
His visit came the day after US forces shot dead three of four Somali pirates who had been holding an American captain hostage for five days in the Indian Ocean.
A Somali pirate chief had earlier threatened to target Americans in revenge for the rescue of a US captain in a dramatic operation that saw naval snipers kill his captors.