FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2009

CONTACT: Jodi Seth/Whitney Smith, 202-224-4159

BOSTON – Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement in response to a pirate attack on a U.S. flagged ship off the coast of Somalia.

“These acts of piracy off of Somalia’s coastline may seem surreal, but they’re all too real and a thorough policy debate is long overdue.  When Americans, including at least one from Massachusetts, are endangered, you’ve got a complicated and dangerous international situation brewing, and that includes questions about a hot pursuit policy on Somalia’s coastline. There have been more than 50 attacks in the area this year alone and the problem isn’t going away. I plan to hold hearings to further examine the growing threat of piracy and all the policy options that need to be on the table before the next fire drill becomes an international incident with big implications.”