Maersk Alabama crew members file lawsuit

Maritime accident attorney Brian Beckcom is representing six crew members of the Maersk Alabama, the U.S. flagged ship hijacked by Somali pirates in April.

The suit filed against Maersk Line Ltd., the operator, and Waterman Steamship Corp., the crewing company, alleges physical and mental damages and loss of income.

The mariners charge Maersk failed to adequately provide for self defense before transiting through deadly waters.

"Maersk made a conscious decision, despite going into pirate-infested waters, not to provide any meaningful security for its workers." said Beckcom. "Instead they'd just rely on the taxpayers and U.S. military to bail them out after the fact."

On Wednesday, November 18, 2009, the vessel was attacked by pirates off of East Africa for the second time in seven months. This time, the crew members successfully fended off the attackers when armed guards returned gunfire. The vessel did not carry armed security during the first attack.