Damco - Piracy

Piracy

On the morning of April 8, 2009 the 17,000-ton MV Maersk Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast. The company confirmed that the U.S.-flagged vessel had 20 U.S. nationals on board. This was the first time that the US had to deal with a situation in which Americans were aboard a ship seized by pirates in over 200 years. By noon, the Americans were able to resist the pirates and regain control of the ship. However, the pirates retreated on a covered life boat and held the captain hostage for four days. On April 12, 2009, it was confirmed that the captain held hostage was freed by the US Navy, where SEAL sharpshooters killed three of the pirates. A fourth pirate surrendered earlier due to a medical injury.

Maersk Line estimates that piracy costs the company $100 million per year due to longer routes and higher speed, particularly near East Africa.

As of 2010, all 83 Maersk tankers divert around the Cape of Good Hope south of Africa instead of going through the Suez Canal.