The chief steward of the first U.S.-flagged cargo ship to be hijacked by Somali pirates sued his employer and the ship’s owner today for knowingly sending him into danger without proper protection.
Richard Hicks, 53, said he underwent severe stress after being held for 12 hours in the 130-degree engine room.
“I was fearing for my life. I didn’t know if I was to live or die,” he said.
“I can’t return to my job,” Hicks, a sailor for 32 years, said. He said he spoke with other crew members of the Maersk Alabama and “a lot of them aren’t ready to go back either.”
Hicks’ suit, the first by a crew member, was filed today in Houston against the Maersk Line and his employer, Waterman Steamship Corporation.
He charged that they relied “on the United States military (and taxpayers) to provide after-the-fact rescue operations” that were risky and more expensive than if they had provided adequate security.
Hicks, of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., is seeking medical costs and other damages.
“I don’t know if you can put a price on what he suffered,” said his attorney, Terry Bryant of Houston.
Waterman Steamship declined comment. There was no immediate response from the Danish-based Maersk Line.