Somalian Pirates Stopped; Maersk Alabama Reportedly Retaken by US Crew

Somalian pirates seized a US cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, that was en route to Kenya with supplies intended to relieve at 7:30 am local time today. The news seemed tragic, if not unsurprising, because of the good intent of the ship and the prevalence of Somalian pirates in that area.

However, good news arrived just a few minutes ago when the Pentagon announced that the US Crew on board had reportedly overtaken the Somalian pirates and re-seized the ship.

Currently, Maersk Line, Ltd., CEO John Reinhart is denying the rumors that the company has control of the ship again: "We have no facts that confirm the ship has been retaken ... I believe it's premature to comment on that, and I don't think it's in the best interest of the safety of the crew to comment on that at this time ... "They'd be outgunned," Reinhart said. "They don't have any weapons. It would be inappropriate for them to decide to become heroes. We'd like them to come home safely."

However, that doesn't necessarily mean that a retaking of the ship hasn't happened. And if it has, well, not to get all awkwardly patriotic or anything, but I'm getting pretty excited here. I understand that these pirates ending up doing what they do not because they're evil people, but because of worldly circumstances (I think anyway) but they're still pirates. And they still hijacked an American ship that was bound for a poorer country with supplies intended for relief.

So if our American sailors managed to throw down on the pirates, shrug off a raid and get control of the ship back, well, you better believe I'm getting excited.

Cruise Ship Outruns Pirates

Over the weekend, an Oceania-line cruise ship was attacked by pirates off the coast of Yemen. The Nautica was on a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore when the incident occurred. Although it was the first time one of the company's ships had been threatened by pirates, the captain and crew wasted no time in their response, quickly leaving the two small skiffs in their wake.

The ship took evasive maneuvers and accelerated to its full speed of 23 knots or 27 mph. One of the smaller craft closed to within 300 yards and fired eight rifle shots at the cruise ship, he said, but the ship was able to pull away.

The Nautica escaped without damage or injury to its 684 passengers and 400 crew, and arrived safely on schedule in Salalah, Oman early on Monday morning.

Although the incident occurred in a Maritime Safety Protection Area patrolled by international anti-piracy task forces, the Nautica was on its own as it sped from pirates at a blistering 27 miles per hour. Sources at the Maritime Bureau pointed out that although the zone was created to give safer passage to ships, it's impossible to guarantee the protection of every ship in such a large area.

Some travelers may shy away from cruising after hearing stories like this and others about pirates in Somalia, but there are two factors to consider. First and foremost, attempts on large passenger ships are incredibly rare (this was the first of its kind in 2008 and pirates generally target cargo ships) and cruising remains, by and large, a safe and fun way to vacation. Second, what more of a testament do you need for the qualification of a ship's crew and captain? Oceania escaped with more than their ship, crew and passengers... you better believe those 684 passengers are going to have some brand loyalty the next time they book a cruise.