A ranar 8 ga Afrilu 2009, 'yan fashin teku hudu da ke kan FV Win Far 161 sun kai hari a kan jirgin. Dukkanin' yan fashin teku hudu suna tsakanin shekaru 17 zuwa 19, a cewar Sakataren Tsaro na Amurka Robert Gates. 'Yan jirgin Maersk Alabama sun sami horo na anti-cy daga makarantun horar da kungiyar, kuma sun yi rawar jiki a cikin jirgin a rana daya da suka gabata. Sun hada da amfani da kananan makamai, anti-ta'addanci, tsaro, taimakon gaggawa, da sauran kwasa-kwasan da suka shafi tsaro. Lokacin da 'yan fashin teku suka yi sautin ƙararrawa a farkon Afrilu 8, Babban Injiniya Mike Perry ya kawo mambobi 14 na ma'aikatan jirgin zuwa cikin babban ɗakin horo na "tsaron tsaro" wanda injiniyoyi suka kasance a cikin jirgin don irin wannan dalili.
Perry