On this day, April 8th, back in 2009, the shipping giant MAERSK Alabama said a container ship with a U.S. crew of 20 people was seized by pirates. This is about 300 miles off the Somali coast. Now, while the capture and rescue of the Maersk Alabama was dramatic enough to get the Hollywood treatment out, complete with the wholesome Tom Hanks portraying the titular Captain Phillips, the incident was part of a larger ground swell in maritime piracy that sucked billions of dollars a year from the global economy.
