Sailor Sues Owner, Crew Company of U.S. Ship Hijacked By Somali Pirates

A member of the crew on the U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates is suing the owner and another company, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger.

Richard E. Hicks alleges in the suit that owner Maersk Line Limited and Waterman Steamship Corp., which provided the crew, ignored requests to improve safety measures for vessels sailing along the Somali coast.

Hicks was chief cook on the Maersk Alabama. Pirates held the ship’s captain hostage for five days until the U.S. Navy rescued him.

Hicks’ lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages and improved safety.

Officials for the Virginia-based Maersk Line and Alabama-based Waterman said their companies don’t comment on pending litigation.

Hicks asked that the two companies improve safety for ships by providing armed security or allowing crew members to carry weapons, sending ships through safer routes, and placing such safety measures on ships as barbed wire that would prevent pirates from being able to board vessels.

“We’ve had safety meetings every month for the last three years and made suggestions of what should be done and they have been ignored,” Hicks said. “I’m just trying to make sure this is a lot better for other seamen.”

Both companies do business in Texas, which is why the suit was filed in Houston, his lawyer said.