Maritime Information

What Our Clients Say

View All

Disclaimer

We designed this website to provide information to consumers, injured people, and their families. Our goal is to level the playing field between consumers and insurance companies and expose the tricks, traps, and techniques they use to cheat injured people out of their legal rights. We also let consumers know about legal news, including verdicts and settlements and other interesting legal information.

But please understand that nothing on this website is meant to provide legal information about your specific case, create an attorney-client relationship, or imply that the results of your legal case will be the same as some other case.

Maritime Injury Blog

Blog Category:

Maritime Injuries

12/27/2009
Brian Beckcom
Comments (0)

Was ship captain partially to blame for offshore pirate attack?

The Associated Press has published information claiming that the captain of the Maersk Alabama may have been partially to blame for the pirate attack last spring 600 miles off the African coast.

 

According to the AP, seven warnings were issued by maritime safety groups about the dangers of traveling in pirate infested waters along Somalia.  Four of the twenty crew members who were aboard the Maersk when it was attack believe that the captain, Richard Phillips, was negligent when he refused to change course after being made aware of the pirate’s activity in the area.

 

Had Phillips made the decision to avoid the area, it would have added more than a day to the trip and would have required the use of additional fuel.  Not only did Phillips fail to avoid the dangerous area, the crew members allege, but the ship was also sent into dangerous waters without adequate protection.

 

Phillips calls the accusations by his former crew members “spurious” and refused to comment further.  A compliant has also been filed against him with the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

Phillips has years of experienced sailing in dangerous waters off the coast of Africa, and his decision to stick to the route that led him into the allegedly dangerous waters off the coast of Somalia was supported by his second in command, Captain Shane Murphy.

 

In view of the pending legal challenges, Maersk Line officials also refrained from commenting on the AP report.



Bookmark and Share


There are no comments.

Post a comment

Post a Comment to "Was ship captain partially to blame for offshore pirate attack?"

To reply to this message, enter your reply in the box labeled "Message", hit "Post Message."

Name:*

Email:* (will not be published)

Website:

Message:

Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

For security purposes, please enter the graphic text in the box below: [hit F5 if you can not read the text]

Private Consultation




Free Consumer Reports

See All Books

Web Resources