Somali Pirate Saga Escalates (Again) As Italian Tugboat Captured

Massachusetts native Richard Phillips is not alone: Somali pirates have seized a tugboat with 16 passengers, owned by Italy and operating out of the UAE. The boat and passengers are being held by the pirates, who have over 200 additional hostages in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Some Somali elders want to negotiate a mediation that would involve the safe return of the Somali pirates, who have requested a $2 million ransom for Phillips. We hope the safe return of all hostages can be negotiated without ransoms that would fund further piracy, but that may be wishful thinking. In other pirate news, Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, has arrived in port in Kenya without him, and the USS Boxer, which contains hospital facilities, is expected to arrive soon on the scene of the standoff between Phillips' captors and US ships.