2 U.S. contractors found dead on ship

NAIROBI, Kenya - Two American security officers were found dead on a ship made famous when it was hijacked by Somali pirates, according to a statement by Seychelles police on Wednesday.

The two Americans - Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, both 44 - were found dead Tuesday in a cabin on the Maersk Alabama, the police said. The ship was hijacked by pirates in 2009, an event dramatized in the movie Captain Phillips.

The two men’s bodies were found Tuesday as the ship was berthed in Port Victoria in the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles.

The police gave no cause of death but said an autopsy had been scheduled.

The U.S. Coast Guard stated from its headquarters in Washington that it also was investigating the deaths.

The two men worked for U.S.-based Trident Security, according to the Seychelles police statement. Former military personnel frequently provide security on ships sailing through the waters off Somalia.

Trident Security was founded by former U.S. Navy SEALs in 2000 and employs former special-warfare operators to provide security.

Front Section, Pages 7 on 02/20/2014

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