Thomas Smith supports Captain Phillips filming

Thomas Smith Group, exclusive Maersk agents in Malta, provided assistance throughout the filming of Columbia Pictures’ release Captain Philips.

The Paul Greengrass-directed action thriller starring Tom Hanks is the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama. It was the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in 200 years.

Thomas Smith was responsible for cargo movements, daily coordination with the Port of Valletta in view of vessels’ movements; water provision; waste removal; provision of tugs, pilots and mooring men. Several pre-production meetings with the marine coordinator and local maritime vendors were critical to the success of the various shoots in Maltese waters. Dan Malone, marine coordinator on the set of Captain Phillips thanked Thomas Smith Group for the professionalism and attention to detail throughout the filming in Malta.

“We couldn’t have done it without you,” he told the Thomas Smith team. “I was particularly impressed with your hands on approach to the day-to-day ship operations. Rarely does a company provide that kind of service. Every morning and every evening, not to mention weekends, your staff was on the pier making sure operations ran smoothly.”

Columbia Pictures has released the first trailer for the film which can be viewed on You Tube.