US navy closes in on pirate boat
- 00:01:38
- ITN
US navy closes in on pirate boat
A Somali pirate gang holding an American ship captain in the Indian Ocean have said they will fight if attacked by US naval forces near them. One of the pirates said by satellite phone, speaking on behalf of the four men holding Captain Richard Phillips on a lifeboat: "We are safe and we are not afraid of the Americans. "We will defend ourselves if attacked," he added. US warships are currently stalking the drifting lifeboat where Somali pirates are holding their first American hostage, apparently hoping to win a promise of safe passage in exchange for the captive. Four pirates have been holding Mr Phillips since Wednesday after making a foiled attempt to hijack the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama several hundred miles off Somalia in the Indian Ocean. While the ship's lifeboat has run out of fuel, other pirates are too nervous to help them due to the presence of foreign naval ships, and the USS Bainbridge destroyer is up close. Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme that monitors the region's seas, said: "Other pirates want to come and help their friends, but that would be like sentencing themselves to death. "They will release the captain, I think, maybe today or tomorrow, but in exchange for something. Maybe some payment or compensation, and definitely free passage back home." Phillips is one of about 270 hostages being held at the moment by Somali pirates, who have been plying the busy sea-lanes of the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean for years.
ITN | April 10, 2009
