UPDATE III: Maersk Alabama attacked by pirates

April 8, 2009

We are able to confirm that the crew of the Maersk Alabama is now in control of the ship. The armed hijackers who boarded this ship earlier today have departed, however they are currently holding one member of the ship's crew as a hostage. The other members of the crew are safe and no injuries have been reported. We are working closely with the U.S. military and other government agencies to continue to respond to this situation as it develops further and will provide additional information as we are able.

Please contact Maersk Line Limited for further press inquiries:

Maersk Line Limited (switchboard): + 1 757 857 4800
http://www.maersklinelimited.com

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This morning, at around 05.00 UTC, Maersk Alabama, a 1,100 TEU container vessel, was attacked by pirates and presumed hijacked. The US flagged vessel has a crew of 20 US nationals and is owned and operated by Maersk Line, Limited in the US.

The vessel is deployed in Maersk Line's East Africa service network and was enroute to Mombasa, when it was attacked approximately 500 kilometres of the Somalia coast. Our initial concern is to ensure proper support of the crew and assistance to their families.

A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S, press release