This is a dramatic recreation in a movie of a real life event that took place on board the Maersk Alabama in 2009 off the coast of Somalia. Phillips was the ships captain and the central character. Box boats hadn't been invented when I was at sea so I would be interested in what others think of the film. Stu
Yes, I agree with you Andy. I now have the DVD so will be watching it again soon. Apart from the obvious excitement I also found that woven into it were a number of "contrasts". I have no idea if this was intentional or "just the way it was". Maybe I just see things a little differently!!!! I mean it was a conflict between blacks and whites, Somalis and Americans. And the contrast between the poverty of the pirates and the modern container ship. But it was also their use of advanced technology such as high speed outboard motor skiffs and mobile phones, and of course, automatic weapons. A small number of pirates were able to take command of a huge laden container ship, ironically the cargo was fresh water and food aid for East Africans, a gift from the American government.
There was also a verbal clash between the Captain and the pirate leader who claimed to be a poor fisherman. It turns out that the pirate mothership was a hijacked Taiwanese fishing trawler that had previously been plundering the fish stocks in Somali waters, forcing the fishermen into piracy to provide for their village. This is a common problem around the coasts of 3rd world countries. Western and Asian fishing boats take large quantities of fish that are often ground down to make a fish meal which is used to feed farmed fish. Nice Green People believe they are saving the worlds fish stocks by buying farmed fish when they are doing the exact opposite plus creating poverty in 3rd world countries. Sorry, didn't mean to lecture, just make the point, for every action there is a reaction.
I think I have the answer to this question but I'll ask it anyway to see what others think.
Why was a Maersk ship registered in the USA and crewed by unionised American seamen ? Maersk of course being a Danish company, and probably the largest shipping company in the world.
It appears that this drama is far from over. If you Google in Maersk Alabama you should find that the crew members are sueing the Maersk company and also the recruiting agency (Waterman I think) that engaged them, for putting their lives in danger. It appears they are not sueing Captain Phillips because it is unlikely he has the millions they seek in compensation. Stu
