They were expecting the pirates to eventually just become exhausted. After he jumped overboard the first time and they pulled him back into the pirate lifeboat, they had him tied to the boat according to one of the reports I read.
The fact that he was able to get overboard into the water again really expedited the resolution, as according to the news conference, the expectation was that it would take more time to just wear the pirates down until they gave up or were all asleep at the same time.