This week, a Somali pirate pleaded guilty to charges arising from an attack earlier this year on a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Africa.

Jama Idle Ibrahim faced several criminal charges arising from the attack, and this week, he pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors.  Ibrahim had been accused of opening fire on the USS Ashland in the Gulf of Eden.  There were six men on the pirate boat.  The U.S. Navy vessel returned fire, killing one person and capturing the other pirates.

This week, Ibrahim pleaded guilty to attacking to plunder a vessel, use of firearms during a crime of violence, and acts of violence against persons on a vessel.  Earlier this month, a judge in Norfolk had thrown out the piracy charges against the six men, because they had not robbed, boarded or taken control of the vessel.  The piracy conviction would’ve meant a mandatory life sentence for Ibrahim and his five accomplices.   However, the six men continued to face other criminal charges.

Sentencing has been set for 29 November.  Ibrahim is likely to be sentenced to 30 years in prison.  According to US Attorney Neil McBride, this is the first conviction for piracy in more than 150 years.

The unrest and continued political and economic tension in Somalia has created a fertile environment for the breeding of pirates. This continues to be a serious maritime safety issue for seamen.

Maritime lawyer Brian Beckcom is a Board-Certified Trial Lawyer whose primary focus is the representation of Jones Act seamen, including tankermen,  galley hands, deckhands, cruise line crews, fishing vessel crew members, offshore workers and other maritime workers in accidents in Texas, across the country and international waters.

Image Coutresy: Flickr – Olivier Bruchez