Covered lifeboat---type pirates are holding the Captain in.
Might look like this inside.
I can’t imagine being in that, unable to see the horizon in an extended spell of heavy weather. It might beat drowning with your ship, but just barely. (shudder)
Good info on the lifeboat. This could go on for weeks but it sounds like the captain may have disabled the boat to keep it from going far.
http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/maersk-alabama-lifeboat-faq/
and by now it stinks reall, really bad.