Somali pirates and US captive drift toward shore

Mogadishu: A lifeboat used by Somali pirates holding an American ship captain captive drifted toward Somalia's coast on Sunday, with US warships tracking it to keep the pirates from escaping to shore.

The lifeboat that was out of fuel had drifted to within 20 miles of the Somali coast by late on Saturday.

US military officials said they feared that if it reached the shore, the pirates might try to escape with their hostage on land.

The US-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship from which Captain Richard Phillips was taken last week arrived safely in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on Saturday, as a Somali mediator headed to sea to try to secure his release.

Negotiations were underway on Sunday to free the captain, the Pentagon said. The FBI was also investigating the pirate attack.

"The captain is a hero," one crew member shouted from the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama container ship as it docked. "He saved our lives by giving himself up."

The ship was attacked by gunmen far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the hijackers and regained control of the ship.

Relatives said Phillips volunteered to join the pirates in their lifeboat in exchange for the safety of his ship and its crew. The four pirates holding him want $2 million ransom for him and a guarantee of safe passage.

Three US warships including the destroyer USS Bainbridge were in the area around the lifeboat.

Military officials said the pirates fired on a small US craft that approached them from the Bainbridge on Saturday. No one was hurt by the volley and the craft withdrew.