Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

SEEKONK, Mass. -- Attention Shane Murphy: The Somali Community Association of Ohio wants to take you out to dinner and seeks your help in forming a coast guard to fight Indian Ocean pirates.

Shane Murphy / Providence Journal file photo

Murphy said he would consider the invitation. "Personally, I'm just willing to do anything to make it a safer area and help protect the mariners that are working out there," he said Wednesday night.

Murphy, of Seekonk, was chief officer of the Maersk Alabama when pirates based in Somalia swarmed aboard in April and took the ship's captain hostage. Murphy led the crew in resisting the pirate attack. That incident ended five days later, when Navy Seals killed three pirates and freed Capt. Richard Phillips.

"I have many friends in Africa, and I don't hold anybody accountable for the actions of a few people," Murphy said. "I know there's a lot of good people over there."

Bashir Haji, vice president of the Somali association that has its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, called The Journal in a bid to contact Murphy after pirates again attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday. They were driven off by gunfire from the ship's armed guard, according to news reports.

Murphy is still a merchant marine, but not for Maersk, and he has begun working for Nexus Consulting Group, a private company that provides armed security in the Gulf of Aden to three major U.S.-flagged shipping companies, said Elizabeth R. O'Keefe, a lawyer for Duval, Klasnick & Pastel in Woburn, Mass., who represents Nexus and Murphy.

Nexus president Kevin Doherty, "is very much interested in discussing and being a part of the formation of a coast guard to fight piracy and has been in contact with the Federal Government of Somalia Republic ambassador-at-large Osman Samantar in D.C.," O'Keefe said. Murphy said Wednesday night that he and Doherty had just been brainstorming about how to set up a private coast guard to protect the gulf between Somalia and Yemen from pirates.

O'Keefe said the three companies that have hired Nexus "are reticent to disclose which ships are armed" with security forces. She said the teams of former U.S. military operatives have thwarted eight documented attacks. Having a proven deterrent aboard "is actually lowering the cost of kidnap and ransom insurance by as much as 40 percent" for the shipping lines, she said.

Haji explained why his group in Ohio extended an invitation to Murphy. "We want to ask him to come to Columbus to give a speech about his ordeal with the pirates."

Murphy last night spoke of Abdwali Muse, the surviving pirate who threatened Murphy's life in April and was captured in Wednesday's attack. "The difference between he and I is, I started going to sea when I was a child, I worked hard and educated myself and made a career for myself. Somebody just handed him a weapon and said, go see what you can find." Murphy wants to help train Somalians to defend their coast and make a living.

"If I can help give these people an opportunity to learn what I have, maybe we could turn some people around," he said.,

Haji said the Somali Community Association wants to enlist Murphy to persuade the international community to "send a lot of money" that would enable Somalia to build a fleet to patrol the waters off the east African nation.

"They could watch and battle with the pirates," Haji said. "We want Shane Murphy to be our voice. Somalia has not had a government in 20 years."

There are about 45,000 Somalis living in the Columbus area, according to the group's Web site.

With reports by Donita Naylor

This story was first published at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday and updated at 5:34 p.m. and 7:17 p.m..

 Tags  Maersk Alabama pirates Seekonk Mass. Shane Murphy Somalia

Comments

eleanor garrett said:

"Send a lot of money." that to me is a red flag!

Link | November 18, 2009 12:52 PM
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asIseeit said:

Are these people Somali's, or Americans? Hint: PICK ONE!!! You get to have One National Loyalty! Let me repeat that... ONE!

And if Somalia matters that much to you, go back! Fix it yourself.

Link | November 18, 2009 1:47 PM
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