WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Richard Phillips , the cargo-ship captain whose capture by pirates triggered a dramatic U.S. Navy rescue off the coast of Africa , called on the federal government Thursday to provide military escorts for international shipping vessels . Capt . Richard Phillips , left , and John Clancy , the head of Maersk Line Ltd. , testify before a Senate committee . Testifying before a key Senate committee , Phillips conceded there may not be sufficient resources to do that . He also said arming vessels ' crews could deter pirates , but should only be allowed in limited circumstances . Phillips was in command of the Maersk Alabama when it was boarded by pirates off the coast of Somalia on April 8 . Phillips said the optimum situation for cargo vessels would be to have military escorts . He said he realizes there is a limit to government resources that can be deployed in the vast area off the Somali coast and the Horn of Africa . See map of attacks » . Phillips told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he would not be opposed to having private security forces on a vessel , but `` very clear protocols would have to be established and followed . ... In the heat of an attack , there can be only one final decision-maker . '' Phillips said that , in his opinion , arming a ship 's crew `` can not and should not be viewed as the best or ultimate solution to the problem . ... To the extent we go forward in this direction , it would be my personal preference that only a limited number of individuals aboard the vessel should have access to weapons , and they should be specially trained . '' He warned that `` even this limited approach to arming the crews opens up a very thorny set of issues . ... We all must understand that having weapons aboard a merchant marine ship fundamentally changes the model of commercial shipping and we must be very cautious about how it is done . '' When the Maersk Alabama was seized , Phillips , 53 , offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the safety of his crew . He tried to escape the next day , jumping into the ocean in an effort to reach a nearby U.S. Navy ship . He was rescued April 12 when Navy SEAL snipers shot and killed three pirates holding him captive on a lifeboat . John Clancy , the head of Maersk Line Ltd. , said arming sailors could potentially worsen the current situation off the African coast . `` Arming merchant sailors may result in the acquisition of even more lethal weapons and tactics by the pirates in a race that merchant sailors can not win , '' Clancy told the committee . `` In addition , most ports of call will not permit the introduction of firearms into the national waters , '' he noted . Clancy said the solution to piracy must ultimately be an international one . He pointed out that most of the vessels that face a piracy threat do not fly the U.S. flag . He also noted that most of the naval vessels assigned to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden are not from the United States . Somali pirate attacks in and around the heavily traveled Gulf of Aden have risen dramatically in the past few years . Pirates have been able to successfully demand ransoms for millions of dollars from shipping companies -- for whom it makes business sense to pay in order to free their crews and many millions of dollars more worth of cargo . The attack on the Alabama was the first successful attack on a U.S.-flagged ship during that time . `` The renewed threat of piracy demands a multifaceted , multinational effort , one that coordinates the world 's naval powers , the United Nations , the international shipping community , and the nations that border Somalia , '' said Sen. John Kerry , D-Massachusetts , at the start of the committee 's hearing . `` International law is clear in its condemnation of piracy . This is an opportunity for all nations to come together and work in order to effectively respond . '' Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar , the ranking Republican on the committee , stated that the `` root cause of this problem is the breakdown of law and order in Somalia , which is what allows the pirates to operate from shore with impunity . '' Lugar warned that `` the existence of failed states directly threatens the national security interests of the United States . '' Meanwhile , the bodies of the three pirates killed by the Navy SEALs were turned over to Somali authorities Thursday , according to a U.S. defense official with knowledge of the matter but not authorized to speak about it . The bodies were being held on the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer until the U.S. State Department could arrange a transfer . The official said the bodies were turned over to police authorities from Puntland , a self-declared autonomous state in northern Somalia . Two police boats from the Puntland town of Bosasso met the Boxer to receive the bodies , the official said . It was unclear if the bodies will be returned to family members .
Capt . Recommend0 Arming crews under certain circumstances could deter pirates , he said . Phillips told Senate committee best solution is military escorts . Breakdown of law and order in Somalia at root of piracy says Sen. Richard Lugar .