[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 108 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 108

     Commending Captain Richard Phillips, the crew of the ``Maersk 
Alabama'', and the United States Armed Forces, recognizing the growing 
problem of piracy off Somalia's coast, and urging the development of a 
     comprehensive strategy to address piracy and its root causes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 22, 2009

   Mr. Leahy (for himself, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
    Sanders, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Chambliss) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Commending Captain Richard Phillips, the crew of the ``Maersk 
Alabama'', and the United States Armed Forces, recognizing the growing 
problem of piracy off Somalia's coast, and urging the development of a 
     comprehensive strategy to address piracy and its root causes.

Whereas Somalia has been without a functioning central government since 1991, 
        resulting in lawlessness and an increasingly desperate humanitarian 
        situation;
Whereas according to a Somali human rights group, violence during the period 
        from 2007 to 2009 has killed an estimated 16,000 people, wounded more 
        than 28,000 people, and displaced more than 1,000,000 people;
Whereas these grim conditions and the absence of a functioning government have 
        made Somalia an ideal base for piracy operations and a fertile ground 
        for terrorist organizations, including the group al-Shabaab, whose 
        leaders have ties to al-Qaeda;
Whereas acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia have been on the rise for more 
        than a year, with the International Maritime Bureau reporting an 
        estimated 111 attacks in 2008;
Whereas on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Somali pirates used grappling hooks and 
        weapons to board the Norfolk, Virginia-based container ship Maersk 
        Alabama, which was captained by Richard Phillips, a resident of 
        Underhill, Vermont, and crewed by 19 other citizens of the United 
        States, and which was delivering food aid from the World Food Programme 
        to hungry people in east Africa;
Whereas Captain Phillips, a native of Winchester, Massachusetts and a 1979 
        graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, bravely led the Maersk 
        Alabama crew in successfully retaking control of the ship by offering 
        himself as a hostage in exchange for the release of the crew;
Whereas 4 pirates took Captain Phillips into an 18-foot lifeboat, held him 
        captive at gunpoint, and repeatedly threatened to kill him;
Whereas the United States Central Command dispatched to the scene the destroyer 
        U.S.S. Bainbridge, which was joined in subsequent days by the U.S.S. 
        Halyburton and the U.S.S. Boxer, along with Navy SEAL teams, Marine 
        Corps helicopters, and other joint assets of the United States Armed 
        Forces;
Whereas hostage recovery experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation gave 
        guidance to the crew of the U.S.S. Bainbridge, while the Department of 
        State stayed in contact with Captain Phillips' family, including 
        Phillips' wife Andrea and their 2 children, Daniel and Mariah, in 
        Underhill, Vermont;
Whereas Maersk Limited, based in Norfolk, Virginia, worked diligently with the 
        United States Armed Forces to try to obtain the release of Captain 
        Phillips and the Maersk Alabama crew and to move the ship safely to port 
        in Kenya, while sending personal representatives to Vermont to keep the 
        Phillips family informed;
Whereas in the late evening of April 9, 2009, Captain Phillips made an escape 
        attempt, jumping into the water of the Indian Ocean to swim for safety, 
        only to be pursued by the pirates and quickly recaptured;
Whereas the President received regular briefings on the hostage crisis and 
        provided the authority necessary for the United States Armed Forces to 
        resolve it;
Whereas on April 12, 2009, Easter Sunday, Captain Phillips was rescued after the 
        United States Armed Forces, which throughout the crisis spared no effort 
        to defuse the situation and peacefully rescue Phillips, took the lives 
        of 3 of the pirate captors when Phillips was seen to be in imminent 
        danger; and
Whereas international commerce remains under threat while Somali pirates 
        continue to hold for ransom more than 200 crew members of many 
        nationalities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) Captain Phillips deserves the respect and admiration of 
        all people of the United States for his brave conduct under 
        life-threatening circumstances;
            (2) the Senate shares the sense of relief and gratitude 
        felt by the family and shipmates of Captain Phillips;
            (3) all members of the United States Armed Forces involved 
        in the rescue operation, in particular members of the Navy and 
        Navy SEAL teams who rescued Captain Phillips, the officials of 
        other Federal Government departments and agencies who 
        contributed, and the crew of the Maersk Alabama, are to be 
        commended for their exceptional efforts and devotion to duty; 
        and
            (4) the President should work with the international 
        community and the transitional government of Somalia to develop 
        a comprehensive strategy to address both the burgeoning problem 
        of piracy and its root causes.
                                 <all>