By Celestine Achieng
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 12 (Reuters) - The crew of the ship captained by released U.S. hostage Richard Phillips fired flares, hoisted an American flag and jumped for joy at news of his rescue after a five-day ordeal on the high seas.
'We are very happy. He's a hero,' a crew member of the Maersk Alabama shouted at journalists amid raucous celebrations aboard the vessel, which docked in Kenya's Mombasa port after a failed attempt to hijack it earlier in the week.
'We made it!' shouted one colleague, punching the air as a red emergency flare screeched into the night sky. Others hung a large Stars and Stripes flag from a rail high up the ship.
Another crewman said the pirates had hunted them for days before the attack on Wednesday, and he urged Barack Obama's administration to send more military forces to the region to stamp out the threat to shipping.
'Tell the president to get these guys. It shouldn't come to that,' he said, referring to their pursuit. Like other elated crewmen who spoke to journalists, he declined to be named.
The media has camped out by the 17,000-tonne freighter since it docked in Mombasa late on Saturday, hoping to get word of how its crew fought off the pirates to retake control of their ship.
There has also been huge interest in how Phillips, a saxophone-playing father of two, apparently volunteered to board the lifeboat with the pirates in return for his men's safety.
But reporters' efforts have mostly been frustrated by tight security at the port as FBI officers debrief the crew on board.
(Additional reporting by Njuwa Maina; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/) Keywords: SOMALIA PIRACY/CELEBRATION (nairobi.newsroom@reuters.com; +254 20 222 4717) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 12 (Reuters) - The crew of the ship captained by released U.S. hostage Richard Phillips fired flares, hoisted an American flag and jumped for joy at news of his rescue after a five-day ordeal on the high seas.
'We are very happy. He's a hero,' a crew member of the Maersk Alabama shouted at journalists amid raucous celebrations aboard the vessel, which docked in Kenya's Mombasa port after a failed attempt to hijack it earlier in the week.
'We made it!' shouted one colleague, punching the air as a red emergency flare screeched into the night sky. Others hung a large Stars and Stripes flag from a rail high up the ship.
Another crewman said the pirates had hunted them for days before the attack on Wednesday, and he urged Barack Obama's administration to send more military forces to the region to stamp out the threat to shipping.
'Tell the president to get these guys. It shouldn't come to that,' he said, referring to their pursuit. Like other elated crewmen who spoke to journalists, he declined to be named.
The media has camped out by the 17,000-tonne freighter since it docked in Mombasa late on Saturday, hoping to get word of how its crew fought off the pirates to retake control of their ship.
There has also been huge interest in how Phillips, a saxophone-playing father of two, apparently volunteered to board the lifeboat with the pirates in return for his men's safety.
But reporters' efforts have mostly been frustrated by tight security at the port as FBI officers debrief the crew on board.
(Additional reporting by Njuwa Maina; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/) Keywords: SOMALIA PIRACY/CELEBRATION (nairobi.newsroom@reuters.com; +254 20 222 4717) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.