Bravery of captured Captain revealed
- 00:01:16
- ITN
Bravery of captured Captain revealed
A lifeboat used by Somali pirates holding a US ship captain is drifting toward Somalia's coast, as US warships track it to keep the pirates from escaping to shore. The boat, which has been out of fuel for some time, had drifted to within 20 miles of the Somali coast by late on Saturday, according to US military officials. Somali pirate sources and coastal residents said they do not think the lifeboat is anywhere near that close to shore. The US-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship, from which Captain Richard Phillips was taken last week, arrived safely in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on Saturday, as a Somali mediator headed to sea to try to secure his release. "The captain is a hero," one crew member shouted from the 17,000-ton ship as it docked. "He saved our lives by giving himself up." The ship was attacked by gunmen far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the hijackers and regained control of the ship. Relatives said Mr Phillips volunteered to join the pirates in a Maersk Alabama lifeboat in exchange for the safety of his ship and its crew. Three US warships including the destroyer USS Bainbridge are in the area around the lifeboat.
ITN | April 12, 2009
