It was 2004. Haiti had erupted in an armed rebellion. The ship, Hardberger’s target, was the ten-thousand-ton, ten-story-tall Maya Express. After hiring the vessel to haul 235 used cars from the northeastern United States to Haiti, an American businessman refused to pay for the trip. This caused the owner of the ship to default on his mortgage, leading Haitian authorities to detain the ship in port. In league with corrupt local officials, the American businessman set up a rigged auction in which he planned to buy the ship.
