Pirates’ freedom, finances attacked

Mombasa, Kenya —- The United States and its allies battled Somalia’s pirates on two fronts Wednesday, with French forces seizing a bandit mother ship and Washington seeking to keep the marauders from their spoils.

Another U.S. freighter headed to port with armed sailors aboard after pirates damaged it with gunshots and grenades. Tuesday’s assault on the Liberty Sun underscored the outlaws’ ability to act with impunity despite international naval operations against them and mounting concern worldwide over how to end the escalating attacks off the Horn of Africa.

Pirates bombarded the U.S.-flagged ship with automatic weapons fire and rocket-propelled grenades, but its American crew of about 20 successfully blockaded themselves in the engine room and warded off the attack with evasive maneuvers.

The ship, carrying food aid for hungry Africans —- including Somalis —- was damaged “pretty badly” on its bridge, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the ship.

Windows were blown out, and the crew had to put out a small fire, the official said, but they were still able to navigate. By the time the USS Bainbridge arrived five hours later, the pirates were gone.

The assault delayed a reunion between freed American sea Capt. Richard Phillips and the 19 crewmen of the Maersk Alabama he helped save in an attempted hijacking last week. Phillips had planned to meet his crew in Mombasa and fly home with them Wednesday, but he was stuck on the Bainbridge when it was diverted to help the Liberty Sun.

The Alabama’s crew left without him, heading to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on a chartered plane.

“We are very happy to be going home,” said crewman William Rios of New York. But, he added, “We are disappointed to not be reuniting with the captain in Mombasa. He is a very brave man.”

Meanwhile Wednesday, French naval forces launched an early-morning attack on a suspected pirate “mother ship” 550 miles east of Mombasa and seized 11 men, thwarting an attack on the Liberian cargo ship Safmarine Asia, the French Defense Ministry said. No one was injured.

The ministry said the vessel was a larger ship that pirates use to allow their tiny skiffs to operate hundreds of miles off the coast.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Prazuck said a French helicopter in the area heard a distress call from the Safmarine Asia. He described the seized ship as a small, noncommercial vessel carrying fuel, water and food supplies.

The 11 pirates, believed to be Somalis, were being held on the Nivose, a French frigate among the international fleet trying to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden.

France has been proactive against pirates for at least the past year, intervening to save three of its ships and spearheading a Europewide anti-piracy force called Atalanta. French politicians have sought to have other European countries take greater action against pirates.

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced new diplomatic efforts to freeze the pirates’ assets and said the Obama administration will work with shippers and insurers to improve their defenses against pirates, part of a diplomatic initiative to thwart attacks on shipping.

“These pirates are criminals, they are armed gangs on the sea. And those plotting attacks must be stopped,” Clinton said.

Clinton did not call for military force, although she mentioned “going after” pirate bases in Somalia, as authorized by the United Nations several months ago.

The measures are largely stopgap moves while the administration weighs more comprehensive diplomatic and military action. Clinton acknowledged it will be hard to find the pirates’ assets, but said she wants the United States and other countries to “explore ways to track and freeze” pirate funds used in purchases of boats, weapons and equipment.

“We have noticed that the pirates are buying more and more sophisticated equipment, they’re buying faster and more capable vessels, they are clearly using their ransom money for their benefit —- both personally and on behalf of their piracy,” she said.

Clinton said the administration will also call for immediate meetings of an international counter-piracy task force to expand naval coordination.