Apr 8, 2009 8:26 pm US/Eastern
Mass. Maritime Grads Commanders Of Hijacked Ship
BOURNE (WBZ) ―
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The vessel's first in command is Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt., a 1979 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
WBZ
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The Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
AP
The top two commanders of an American-flagged cargo ship
hijacked by pirates off Somalia are graduates of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt., was a 1979 graduate.
His second in command, Capt. Shane Murphy, is also among the 20 Americans aboard the Maersk Alabama.
Capt. Murphy's wife, Serena, told WBZ she spoke with her husband Wednesday afternoon. She said he told her the ship is safe and that he is safe.
"He was able to call, which means he's healthy and alive, and that makes me happier than anything in the world," Serena Murphy said.
But Capt. Murphy confirmed that Capt. Phillips was still being held by pirates.
"He is negotiating with the pirates for the safe return of the captain," Serena said. "(Phillips) is in a little boat far enough where they can see him but can't reach him."
The Pentagon said Wednesday afternoon the American crew had regained control of the vessel.
Capt. Phillips' wife, Andrea, learned her husband had been taken hostage from a neighbor who saw the story on television. She is waiting for news of her husband's release.
"I try not to fear the worst, but I knew this was always a risk in these particular waters," she said. "From the e-mail I got from Richard a couple of days ago he did say that activity was high and they were on high alert."
Capt. Joseph Murphy, a professor at the school, says his son is a 2001 graduate of Mass Maritime, who a few weeks ago talked to his class about the dangers of pirates.
Read: Mass. Martime Reaches For Guns To Prevent Piracy
Murphy, 34, is married with two sons, ages 3 and 8-months-old. He lives with his family in Seekonk.
His father told WBZ's Ron Sanders the pirates chased the ship for several hours before hijacking it around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, about 280 miles northeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia.
"They outran the pirates for three-to-five hours. They were finally overtaken with substantial gunfire involved," Capt. Joseph Murphy said.
"It's presently drifting about five-to-six miles from where it was orginally captured."
The younger Murphy wrote on
his Facebook profile that he worked in waters between Oman and Kenya.
"These waters are infested with pirates that highjack (sic) ships daily," Murphy wrote on the page, which features a photograph of him.
"I feel like it's only a matter of time before my number gets called."
After the sixth hijacking in a week, Capt. Murphy is also concerned about merchant mariners in general. "The world has chosen to ignore this, and I am appalled. This is never a good situation. I hope that it draws attention to the situation and that something is done about it."
At least 12 of the Americans aboard the Maersk Alabama are members of the
Seafarers International Union, spokesman Jordan Biscardo said.
The ship was carrying emergency relief supplies to Mombassa, Kenya when it was hijacked, said Peter Beck-Bang, spokesman for the Copenhagen-based containing shipping group, A.P. Moller-Maersk.
This is the sixth vessel to be seized within a week and the first with an all-American crew.
It's believed to be the first American hostage-taking by pirates in 200 years.
Ron Sanders contributed to this report.
Learn more about the pirating issue worldwide:
Recent tales of piracy
Read:
Off The Lawless Coast Of Somalia
The History Of Piracy
Read:
Piracy Grips Gulf Of Aden
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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