American crew members aboard a U.S.-flagged ship have regained control of the vessel hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia Wednesday, FOX News confirms.
One pirate is reportedly in custody.
The U.S. Navy ordered its ships to the scene after pirates commandeered the Maersk Alabama cargo ship crewed by 20 U.S. citizens.
Officials would not say how many Navy ships are on the scene nor would it confirm the nationality of the crew members, but sources told FOX News the Danish-owned ship is operated by U.S. shipping company, Maersk Line Limited.
Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said he has "no information to suggest the 20 crew members of the Maersk Alabama have been harmed by the pirates."
Whitman declined to comment when asked if military action would be taken.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the White House is "closely monitoring the apparent hijacking of the U.S.-flagged ship in the Indian Ocean and assessing a course of action to resolve this situation."
"Our top priority is the personal safety of the crew members on board," Gibbs said in a written statement.
The 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya, at the time it was hijacked, said Peter Beck-Bang, spokesman for the Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk. A Kenya-based diplomat identified the crew as American, but Navy Spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen declined to release details until family members of the crew are notified. - FOX News Story
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