Report: Pirates hijack American ship

Yes, you read that correctly. Pirates off the coast of the Horn of Africa have hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship and its crew, according the Los Angeles Times.

The cargo ship, with a crew of 20 Americans, is said to be near the Somalia coast and believed to be safe. The owner of the ship, Maersk Line Ltd., is based in Norfolk, Va., and the company has frequently worked as a shipping contractor for the Defense Department. Apparently this ship was not working for the department when it was hijacked.

From the Times:

The attack marks a rare hijacking of a U.S.-operated ship in Africa, where piracy has been surging along the Somalia coast and in the Gulf of Aden.

“Every indication is that this is the first time a U.S.-flagged ship has been successfully seized by pirates,” [Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman from the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain] said.

According to Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program in Nairobi, the last pirate attack of an American vessel by African pirates was reported in 1804, off Libya. “It’s been a very long time,” he said.

No demands or ransom have been received from the pirates at this time, according to the report. Pirates in the area have demanded ransoms ranging from $1 to $3 million in previous hijackings.

UPDATE: The Pentagon says the U.S. crew has taken back control of the ship.

jeremy.jacobs@digital-stage.thehill.com