The cook of the American-flagged ship the Maersk Alabama that was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia earlier this month is suing the owner of the boat and the company that provided the crew. Richard Hicks lawsuit contends the two companies failed to provide adequate safety measures while they were sailing through pirate controlled waters.
The Maersk Alabama, which was taking food aid to the Kenyan port of Mombassa, was seized in the early morning of April 11th. To protect themselves from AK-47 wielding pirates, most of the crew barricaded themselves in a ship compartment that housed the ship’s steering gear. The room, Hick’s claims in a news release, “was dark and hot, maybe 130 degrees”. The ship’s captain was taken by pirates in exchange for the safety of the crew. He was later rescued by a team of Navy snipers. The snipers were able to fatally shoot 3 of the pirates (a fourth pirate had been taken hostage by the crew) while they held the captain hostage on a lifeboat.
Maersk Line Ltd. and Waterman Steamship Corp., which own the vessel and provide the crew respectively, are named in Richard Hicks’ lawsuit. He contends Maersk and Waterman did not listen to sailor requests for beefed up security measures even though it was known the Maersk Alabama would be sailing through pirate patrolled waters. Hicks says sailors had asked for armed security guards or permission to carry their own weapons on board, safer travel routes, and increased measures to prevent unauthorized access to the ship.
Hicks is seeking at least $75,000 in damages from the two companies and maintains the right to amend his asking price in the future. He is still suffering from his injuries from the incident and is unsure if he will ever return to the sea after 32 years as a sailor.
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