Phillips, he says, had a bad reputation for at least 12 years prior, known as a sullen and self-righteous captain. ![]() He worked very closely with Phillips on the Maersk Alabama and was alarmed by his behavior from the beginning. “Phillips wasn’t the big leader like he is in the movie,” says one crew member, who, for legal reasons, spoke with The Post anonymously. The Maersk Alabama leaving the Port of Mombasa, Kenya in 2009. Richard Phillips, they say, is no hero, and the film is one big lie. Phillips’ crew, is none of it is true.Ĭapt. The only problem, say some members of the real Capt. It’s made for Hollywood: the story of an average American family man, captain of a cargo ship in dangerous waters, his vessel overtaken by armed Somali pirates demanding ransom, saving his crew by allowing himself to be removed from the boat and taken hostage.Īll of this is the basis for “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks as the titular, real-life hero. Showbiz veteran blasts Oscar nominees in ballot peek Why there are 9 Best Picture nominees at this year's Oscars 'Look at me!' Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi makes TV debut on 'Five-0’ flag–is now greater than the threat of piracy.How much does it cost to see Tom Hanks on his 2023 book tour? He and Captain Phillips believe the terrorist threat to ships-including those flying the U.S. “Now companies are down to two or three people, which is not enough to face down, for example, Abu Sayyaf or another terrorist group,” Staples says. “And when you make an entry into a country, you have to cross the demarcation line at some point,” he adds.Īfter the Maersk Alabama hijacking, security teams aboard at-risk ships had as many as five components. “You are basically coastwise for days and in close proximity to shoals and other vessels.” “Places like the Singapore Straits and Indonesia you just cannot get far from the coast due to the geography of the area,” Staples says. Is the key factor the presence of armed security details? Are there other factors, for example ships traveling farther from the coast, in areas that are harder for pirates in small boats to reach? Rich Phillips was the catalyst hundreds of sailors had been taken before but it didn’t make the news.” The threat is still high in other parts of the world. ![]() If he hadn’t been taken, this wouldn’t have happened. The de-escalation has only been in that one area and it’s all because of Captain Phillips. In Nigeria, it’s happening all the time: with people taken, ships taken. “The piracy situation has only changed in one geographic area: off the coast of Somalia,” he says. But are there still risks for American mariners? The answer is yes.”Ĭaptain James Staples, a security expert who works at the Maritime Institute of Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, MD, agrees. He says “there are so few U.S.-flag ships now that it’s unlikely one would be hijacked. “Now there are cops on the beat-armed security guards aboard ships in addition to international navies patrolling pirate-prone areas-but if that situation changes, it could definitely happen again.” “Absolutely, if we let our guard down,” Captain Phillips says. What has changed since April 9, 2009? Could another U.S. Phillips was held hostage in a covered lifeboat until Navy sharpshooters aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge intervened, killing three of the pirates. The immediate aftermath of the attack-the kidnapping by the pirates of Captain Richard Phillips-held the world transfixed for five days. It was the first time in more than 200 years that pirates had boarded an American-flagged vessel. Next Tuesday, April 9, marks the 10th anniversary of the hijacking of the U.S.-flagged freighter Maersk Alabama. A team from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) tows the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama to Boxer to be processed for evidence after the successful rescue of Capt.
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