Two American security officers, both former Navy SEALs, were found dead in February on the Maersk Alabama, a ship made famous in 2009 after being the target of an attempted maritime piracy hijacking. The cargo ship was docked at the archipelago Seychelles in the Indian Ocean at the time of the men were found.
Autopsy results find that the men, who worked for Virginia-based maritime security firm Trident Group, died of respiratory failure in conjunction with a suspected heart attack, according to police in Seychelles. A police statement said traces of narcotics were found with the officers’ bodies, and forensic analysis would be conducted to determine if the men had consumed something that caused the events.
“The police preliminary investigation report includes suspicion of drug use, as indicated by the presence of a syringe and traces of heroin which were found in the cabin,” according to the statement.
The Maersk Alabama was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009 followed by a five-day standoff that ended when Navy SEALs shot and killed three of the pirates. Some crewmembers were held at gunpoint while others hid in the engine room of the vessel. The pirates held the ship’s captain, Richard Phillips, in a life raft. The hijacking was dramatized in the film “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks.
Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, represented several crewmembers after the attack in lawsuits against Maersk Line, Ltd., and Mobile, Ala.-based Waterman Steamship Corp.
The ship arrived in Seychelles on Feb. 16 and was expected to leave two days later. The bodies were found by a colleague.
For more information about piracy, please contact SMSH.
