At the movies: Captain Phillips
Starring: Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener and Tom Hanks Directed by: Paul Greengrass
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in 200 years.
Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) takes command of the MV Maersk Alabama at port in Oman, with orders to sail through the Gulf of Aden to Mombasa.
Wary of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia, he orders security precautions on the vessel.
During one training exercise, Phillips is aware they might be hijacked by Somali pirates in two skiffs but he succeeds in outrunning the pirates.
Four pirates return the next day led by Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi) in a faster skiff, carrying a ladder they had hastily welded. Despite Phillips’ and his crew’s best efforts, the pirates are able to board and take control of the Maersk Alabama, capturing the captain while most of his crew hides in the ship’s engine room.
Muse, under orders from a local faction leader, hopes to ransom the ship and crew in exchange for insurance money from the shipping company.
