US Navy and Somali pirates bring in reinforcements
The Somali piracy problem could develop into a pitched battle over Easter as Reuters reports that the US Navy to up the pressure on Somali pirates to give up an American ship captain held hostage in a lifeboat and Bloomberg reports the pirates are sending reinforcements
The standoff was sparked when four gunmen briefly hijacked the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama freighter on Wednesday.
The USS Bainbridge, a naval destroyer, was patrolling the area while FBI and other US officials attempted to negotiate with the pirates and persuade them to surrender Richard Phillips, the freighter's captain.
US military officials said more forces were on the way and that all options were on the table to save the captain.
"We're definitely sending more ships down to the area," a defence official told Reuters. He said one of the ships would be the USS Halyburton, a guided missile frigate that has two helicopters on board.
"Piracy may be a centuries-old crime, but we are working to bring an appropriate, 21st century response," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday, adding that "a number of assets" were being used to resolve the Alabama situation.
The FBI said it had been called in to assist, and its negotiators were fully engaged in resolving what Attorney General Eric Holder called the first act of piracy against a US vessel "in hundreds of years".
Reached by Reuters via satellite phone, the pirates said: "We are surrounded by warships and don't have time to talk. Please pray for us."
Bloomberg said other pirates were sending reinforcements: “We sent reinforcement men to help them,” said Da’ud, who declined to give his full name. The reinforcing pirates are in two groups, one of which was already at sea, he said.
