http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7990566.stm
UPDATE: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97EEIJO0&show_article=1
Do we still hang pirates?Unnamed US defence officials said one pirate had been captured by the crew of the Maersk Alabama, seized earlier in the Indian Ocean.
But the vessel's Danish owners, Maersk, said they could not confirm that the crew had fought off the pirates. It was the sixth ship seized off Somalia in recent days. The Associated Press quoted a defence official as saying: "The crew is back in control of the ship. It's reported that one pirate is on board under crew control - the other three were trying to flee." Reports suggest the other three pirates jumped overboard.
Maersk's chief executive, John Reinhart, said he could not confirm that the ship had been retaken, but told AFP news agency he believed the crew was safe.
The ship was attacked by several small boats in the early hours of Wednesday in an incident apparently lasting for about five hours. Maritime officials said the vessel took all possible evasive action before it reported that the pirates had boarded. More than 130 pirates attacks, including close to 50 successful hijackings, were reported in 2008, threatening one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
UPDATE: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97EEIJO0&show_article=1
Does that mean they took the captain off the ship? This is so confusing. Look for the Movie of the Week in a year or two...NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - The American crew of a hijacked U.S.-flagged ship retook control of the vessel from Somali pirates Wednesday but the captain was still being held hostage, according to Pentagon officials and a member of the crew. The crew member told The Associated Press that the 20-member crew had managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiate their own release.
The man, who picked up the ship's satellite phone but did not identify himself, told the AP in a brief conversation that the crew had retaken control of the ship and the pirates were in a lifeboat. But the man also said that they were holding the ship's captain hostage.
The news came hours after Pentagon officials said the crew had retaken the vessel from the Somali pirates who seized it far off the Horn of Africa.
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