Pirates seize American flagged vessel

Pirates seized an American vessel off the coast of Somalia, the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama, taking some 21 crew members hostage, its being widely reported:

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet said 21 crewmembers were believed to be taken captive in the attack, which took place about 240 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. [wsj]

Its a problem, and not just because pirates are the solution to global warming (and might need to install some talking plant monitors) or free software. Apparently they also threaten a policy of outsourcing national defence.

[…] said the ship was operated by the Danish company Maersk, which deals with the U.S. Department of Defense. [nyt]

contradictory messages on the rise?