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Maersk Alabama hijacking
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<p>The <i>Maersk Alabama</i> hijacking began on 8 April 2009, when four <a href="/facts/Piracy_in_Somalia/e9E7wegD">pirates in the Somali Basin</a> seized the Danish/U.S. cargo ship <a href="/facts/MV_Tygra/7JwaKVul"><i>Maersk Alabama</i></a> at a distance of 240 <a href="/facts/Nautical_mile/V4yJzvKw">nautical miles</a> (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of <a href="/facts/Eyl/HfKDhIAd">Eyl</a>, Somalia. The siege ended after a rescue effort by the <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy/xYK0fUou">United States Navy</a> on April 12. </p><p>The incident was the first successful pirate seizure of a ship registered under the U.S. flag since the early 19th century. Many news reports cited the last pirate seizure as being during the <a href="/facts/Second_Barbary_War/uc8oIqWF">Second Barbary War</a> in 1815, although <a href="/facts/Action_of_9_November_1822/ItutdElK">other incidents are believed to have occurred until at least 1822</a>. It was the sixth vessel in a week to be attacked by pirates, who had previously extorted <a href="/facts/Ransom/Clb2jjff">ransoms</a> of tens of millions of dollars. </p><p>At the time of the hijacking, <i>Maersk Alabama</i> was owned by the Danish shipping company <a href="/facts/Maersk_Line/ze0hwygj">Maersk Line</a>. The ship has since been acquired by Element Shipmanagement SA and has been renamed <a href="/facts/MV_Tygra/7JwaKVul">MV <i>Tygra</i></a>. As of 2025<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maersk_Alabama_hijacking&action=edit">[update]</a>, the ship is still in active service. </p><p>The story of the incident was reported by Captain <a href="/facts/Richard_Phillips_(merchant_mariner)/0Sk50GBB">Richard Phillips</a>, who had been master of the vessel at the time of the incident, in the 2010 book <i><a href="/facts/A_Captain%27s_Duty/Mm0cR8IB">A Captain's Duty</a></i>, which he co-wrote with <a href="/facts/Stephan_Talty/fehnVmsY">Stephan Talty</a>. The book was later adapted as the U.S. 2013 film <i><a href="/facts/Captain_Phillips_(film)/lAQP6mbN">Captain Phillips</a></i>, starring <a href="/facts/Tom_Hanks/nb7oAej3">Tom Hanks</a>. </p>