Richard Phillips (merchant mariner)

Captain Richard Phillips
Phillips speaking with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in May 2009.
Born	(1955-05-16) May 16, 1955 (age 61) Winchester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Merchant mariner, author
Known for	Captain of MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by pirates in 2009

Richard Phillips (born May 16, 1955) is an American merchant mariner and author who served as captain of the MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009.

Phillips was born in Massachusetts, and graduated from Winchester High School in 1973. Phillips enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and planned to study international law but transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, from which he graduated in 1979. During his schooling, Phillips worked as a taxi driver in Boston.

On April 7, 2009, the U.S. Maritime Administration, following NATO advisories, released a Somalia Gulf of Aden "advisory to mariners" recommending ships to stay at least 600 nautical miles (1,100 km; 690 mi) off Somalia's coast of east Africa. With these advisories in effect, on April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama when it was located around 300 nmi (560 km) southeast of the Somalian port city of Eyl. With a crew of 20, the ship departed from Salalah, Oman en route to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. "In that area of the world, any blip on your radar is of concern," said Phillips, "I always told my crew it was a matter of when, not if."