The True Story Behind Captain Phillips & The Maersk Alabama Hijacking

Summary Tom Hanks' 2013 movie Captain Phillips was based on a true story, and it was surprisingly accurate to what actually happened during the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. Captain Phillips depicted the true story of the 2009 hijacking of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates. Hanks played the titular Richard Phillips, and Captain Phillips even included one of Hanks' best scenes ever.

Somali Pirates Hijacked Captain Richard Phillips' Cargo Ship In 2009 Close In April 2009, Captain Phillips and the Maersk Alabama was carrying emergency food supplies from Ṣalālah, Oman to Mombasa, Kenya . That route took the ship around the Horn of Africa, off the coast of Somalia, where a group of pirates found the ship on their radar. Somalia experienced a resurgence in piracy in the 2000s for a variety of reasons.

What Happened To The Crew On Board The Maersk Alabama Cargo Ship The majority of the crew of the Maersk Alabama was safe when the pirates boarded. They retreated into the engine room, which was fortified and defensible . Crew members, including Captain Phillips, who were stationed on the bridge, however, were not able to reach safety, and were captured by the pirates. The pirates then sent one of the crew down to bring the rest of the crew to the bridge, but he didn't do so.

Aside from the ransom they were seeking, the Somali pirates had a few reasons to take Captain Phillips hostage. As the movie depicted, Phillips was used as a human shield to prevent the U.S. Navy from simply capturing or destroying the lifeboat before they could reach the Somali coast. Since the lifeboat ran out of fuel quickly after departing the Maersk Alabama, the pirates aimed to be rescued by other Somali pirates in the area.

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