Pirates attack another U.S. cargo ship but fail to get aboard

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

New York based vessel was damaged, but crew was unhurt

Heavily armed Somali pirates attacked a U.S. cargo ship Tuesday, lobbing grenades and firing automatic weapons towards the vessel, but failed to seize the ship before a Navy destroyer showed up to provide assistance.

No one in the 20 man crew was injured during the brazen attack, but the New York based ship was damaged, officials from Liberty Maritime Corporation of Lake Success said in a statement.

"We are grateful and pleased that no one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," the statement from the Long Island based company said. "We have communicated with the families of the crew to inform them of these developments. We commend the entire crew for its professionalism and poise under fire."

The attack on the Liberty Sun occurred about 300 miles off the coast of Somalia* at about 11:30 a.m., U.S. officials told NBC News.

It came just days after U.S. Navy Seals were able to rescue Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates who had taken him hostage after the bandits failed to capture his cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama.

In today's attack, the pirates were not able to board the Liberty Sun despite being heavily armed.

"The pirates pretty much shot up the bridge, but no one was hurt," according to one source. The crew immediately requested assistance from the Navy, which dispatched forces that were able to thwart the pirates. Navy spokesman Captain Jack Hanzlik said the USS Bainbridge, a destroyer, had arrived to the scene at 5:30 p.m. and that the pirates had left.

The crew of the ship barricaded themselves in the engine room as they came under fire and waited for help to arrive, CNN.com reported.

"We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets," sailor Thomas Urbik of Illinois, wrote in e-mails to his mother, Katy, according to CNN. "We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. [A] rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."

"Navy is on the way and helos and ships are coming," the e-mail said. I'll try to send you another message soon. [G]ot to go now. I love you mom and dad and all my brothers and family."

A little more than an hour later, the sailor sent another e-mail to his mother telling her that the Navy had arrived and that the ship and its crew were safe.

"The navy has showed up in full force and we are now under military escort ... all is well. I love you all and thank you for the prayers," Urbik wrote.

Hours before the attack, Urbik had e-mailed his mother saying the U.S. Navy was forcing the vessel to update its position every six hours and that the crew had conducted several drills, where they "secure" themselves in the engine room. "We can do it pretty quick by now," he wrote.

The Liberty Sun was bound for Mombasa, Kenya carrying thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to African nations, shipping officials said. The vessel will continue to its destination with an escort.

"We want to especially thank the United States Navy for its prompt response to our request for assistance," Liberty said in its statement. "We also wish to thank the U.S. Government for its cooperation in responding to this attack."

Sunday's rescue of Phillips, where three pirates holding the skipper in a lifeboat were shot dead by Navy snipers, has not slowed down the pace of the hijackings.

On Tuesday, pirates seized four ships with a total of 60 hostages. "No one can deter us," one bandit boasted.

"Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone. "Our guns do not fire water. I am sure we will avenge."

The freed skipper will return home to the United States on Wednesday, after reuniting with his 19-man crew in Mombasa, according to the shipping company Maersk Line Ltd. Phillips had offered himself as a hostage to spare his ship and his men a battle with the armed bandits -- earning the admiration of his men who hailed him as a hero.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/NA...-Officials.html?

*So much for protecting sovereign waters bullcrap!

Edited April 15, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Word's out! Don't mess with the U.S. Merchant Marines!

[NickD 203]

Can't keep up with all this stuff going on, but understand it's not like Blackbeard outgunning a ship he intends to pirate. It's more like these pirates are using small boats to do their thing. Heard a guy on the news, all they need is one sniper aboard to stop them, sounds simple enough. Sounds like a fun job, do you get a license to kill?

Slightly off topic, but this is off topic, heard another guy say this morning, we are not against the many wonderful families in Cuba with our sanctions and restrictions, just against that very tiny regime Cuba has. This is a very old story, a handful of people making all the problems where millions have to suffer because of that. Need even more snipers.

[Peikko 1,575]

From a business point of view, paying the 'ransom' price has been the economic thing to do up until now, and what with the vast area that the pirates operate in, and the problems associated with vessels (the majority) that fly a flag of one country, a captain of another and a crew that is normally mixed nationality this action of Obamas may prove very financially costly - as well as potentially costly in life. It's another not so simple problem that is better solved by reducing the need for piratical adventuring than trying to prevent it on the high seas.

[JODO 2]

This is ridiculous. These ships need to be armed and the clan leaders need to be carpet-bombed on land.

[Peikko 1,575]

Well, quite, another economically brilliant solution that is bound to contribute to the stability of the nations these pirates emanate from.

[fozzie 41]

Well, quite, another economically brilliant solution that is bound to contribute to the stability of the nations these pirates emanate from.

Yes but it's escalating because they are getting paid the ransoms.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Well, quite, another economically brilliant solution that is bound to contribute to the stability of the nations these pirates emanate from.

Yes but it's escalating because they are getting paid the ransoms.

ding ding ding

Yep - and from what I read, when the pirates return back with their booty - other pirates are waiting for them....

Hmmm - maybe I should form a pirate ship and hunt pirates for their booty?

any takers?

[Peikko 1,575]

Not true, in the case that sparked this latest spate of interest, there were important differences, the ship was US licensed, US crewed and had a US captain. Once the navy were called in, the normal course of events didn't take place. Ransomes have been paid for a very long time and it was considered one of the normal risks of going that route.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Madame Cleo

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Not true, in the case that sparked this latest spate of interest, there were important differences, the ship was US licensed, US crewed and had a US captain. Once the navy were called in, the normal course of events didn't take place. Ransomes have been paid for a very long time and it was considered one of the normal risks of going that route.

What do you do about the crews, specifically Filipino Seamen, left to rot, because their governments can not afford to pay the ransom, or the Chinese crewmen, that the PRC doesn't give a phlying phuck about because they are plenty more where they came from? These are organized operations working territories from mother ships equipped with electronic surveillance and communication equipment operating hundreds of miles from the Somali coastline.

[Peikko 1,575]

It's not the governments that pay, or do not pay, it's the company that is doing the freighting, and generally they pay the ransom because it is cheaper than holding up the cargo.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It's not the governments that pay, or do not pay, it's the company that is doing the freighting, and generally they pay the ransom because it is cheaper than holding up the cargo.

You are wrong there. There are 133, or 113, (depending whether the 20 captured last weekend were included in the latest number,) Filipino nationals being held hostage, and it is the Filipino government that is expected to pay their ransoms. Not all shipping companies are willing to pay for more than just their officers and cargo.

[Peikko 1,575]

You think the US navy is going to rescue them?

Any shipping company will pay if their freight is held up to the point where the company starts losing money - Money is what the pirates want, they don't want to hold the people ransom indefinitely, they are not pursuing a political campaign, they want money.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

You think the US navy is going to rescue them?

Any shipping company will pay if their freight is held up to the point where the company starts losing money - Money is what the pirates want, they don't want to hold the people ransom indefinitely, they are not pursuing a political campaign, they want money.

Madame President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is doing nothing to get her people. All long as the shippers are willing to pay the toll, then there is nothing done but to encourage the practice, as the Somali pirates are moving their operations farther and farther from the Somali coast.

So your suggestion is keep the status quo?

[Peikko 1,575]

No, my suggestion was attack the problem from the other end. I honestly think that Obama made a mistake in this one. He can't possibly imagine that the US has either the will or the resources to patrol this part of the ocean at a level that would make a difference. This is not a new problem but the way it is being reported at the moment, one would think it was.