The Danish/U.S. cargo ship Maersk Alabama, sailing under the U.S. flag, is hijacked on April 8, 2009 ,by pirates in the Somali Basin at a distance of 240 nautical miles of the Somalia coast. The siege ended after a rescue effort by the United States Navy on April 12.
It was the sixth vessel in a week to be attacked by pirates, who had previously extorted significant ransoms. No successful pirate seizure of a ship traveling under the U.S. flag had taken place since the early 19th century.
