2 American security officers found dead on Captain Phillips

USPA News - Two American security officers were found dead Tuesday aboard the `Maersk Alabama,` the container ship at the center of the 2013 film "Captain Phillips," police in Seychelles confirmed on Wednesday. The bodies of Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, both 44, were discovered in Kennedy`s cabin late Tuesday afternoon while the ship was docked in Port Victoria, located in the capital of the Seychelles, a group of islands northeast of Madagascar.

The Seychelles Police Force said the bodies were discovered at around 4:30 p.m. local time when a co-worker went to check on Kennedy. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed later this week to determine the cause of death. Part of a crew of 24, the 44-year-old men worked for Trident Security Firm USA, which could not be immediately reached for comment. The ship had been docked since Monday at Port Victoria, where it arrived on Sunday and was expected to leave on Tuesday. "We are monitoring the report involving the two citizens and we offer our condolences to the two families," said U.S. Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Tremper, as quoted by CNN. "An investigator from Coast Guard Activities Europe is engaged in a Coast Guard investigation but due to the nature of the investigation that will be about all that we can provide right now." Seychelles police are also conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The vessel was featured in the 2013 film "Captain Phillips" - a portrayal of the `Maersk Alabama` pirate hijacking off the coast of Somalia on April 8, 2009, when a group of four Somali pirates boarded the ship. The hijacking ended four days later when U.S. forces stormed the vessel and freed all hostages. Three pirates were killed while a fourth was taken to the United States to stand trial. The hijacking drew attention to the dangers of operating merchant ships in the horn of Africa, although the number of hijackings in the region has since declined. Seven months after the 2009 incident, pirates attacked the ship again but were repelled by an alarm system and gunfire.