US captain held by Somali pirates is freed
Navy confirms cargo ship captain being held hostage alive, media reports three of his kidnappers killed in apparent gunfight with US troops, fourth pirate said captured
"I can tell you that he is free and that he is safe," Navy Lieutenant Commander John Daniels said.
He had no information on Phillips' physical condition and could not confirm a CNN report that three of four pirates holding the captain had been killed. CNN said the fourth pirate was in custody.
Maersk said it received word of Phillips' rescue from the US Navy and informed the crew of the Alabama.
"We are all absolutely thrilled to learn that Richard is safe and will be reunited with his family," Maersk Line chief executive John Reinhart said in a statement. Reinhart said the company called Phillips' wife, Andrea, to tell her the news. He said the crew of the Maersk Alabama was "jubilant" when they received word that Phillips was safe.
Phillips was being held captive on a lifeboat after his ship was boarded by pirates days ago. The rest of the crew and the ship have made it safely to a port in Kenya.
Phillips, 53, is the first American taken captive by Somali pirate gangs who have marauded in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes for years.
The US-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship was attacked far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the pirates and regained control.
Relatives said Phillips volunteered to go with the pirates in a Maersk Alabama lifeboat in exchange for the crew.
"The captain is a hero," one crew member shouted from the 17,000-ton ship as it docked in Kenya's Mombasa port under darkness on Saturday. "He saved our lives by giving himself up."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
