While leaving Kandla port on May 2010, he never thought that he would witness the veiled faces in waters. Chirag Bahri, a second engineer from Ghaziabad, UP, was sailing on MV Marida Marguerite which was hijacked for eight months. Men on MV Marida Marguerite were prepared to venture into, Gulf of Aden, shark’s mouth for low speed and shorter freeboard vessels. Best Management Practices were done, fire hoses were arranged and crew was briefed by the captain of the vessel, Mahadev Makne, to avoid piracy. MV Marida Marguerite slithered into the waters of Gulf of Aden and the nightmarish truth emerged as reality on a fast skiff starving to gobble MV Marida Marguerite, a chemical tanker. The ebony-skinned, six feet goons used a ladder to climb the vessel and in no time they were on the bridge of the vessel. The second engineer after venturing into Somalian waters received the worst call of his life in his engine room,
“Vessel is hijacked, come on the bridge.”
Helpless and terrified he came on the bridge with other crew members. Route of the vessel was changed to the origin of pirates-Somalia. To terrorize and suppress the hidden heart of a commando amongst each of the crew, pirates used rocket propelled grenades and fired few shots of AK-47.
The days when pirates used daggers to scare and looted vessels are digging potatoes. Now we have web friendly, technology devouring, updated with vital information (well the job profile demands it), says Chirag with sarcasm. The crew was shocked and frightened, each of the pirates had AK-47 and machine guns, he says.
The initial days of captivity didn’t see any ghosts. The emotionless and insensitive beasts, as adjectivated by Chirag, denied harming the crew at the initial time. Six of them, aged 25-30, were headed by their financer of the whole piracy plan. The financer knew English and also Hindi in bits and pieces. Their religion is to get maximum ransom at any cost, says Chirag. These illiterate Somalians also knew to use satellite phones.
Through phone calls between pirates and people involved in the nexus, Chirag came to know that piracy is not Somalian local business but has its has roots extended in Europe and other western countries. After three months, the devil within pirates woke up from his sleep and the crew witnessed worst days of their life. The crew on MV Marida Marguerite was losing hope and dreamt of death every evening, says Chirag with a tinge of death rubbed on his face. To add to the tyranny, one of the fellow members stabbed on their back by sharing relevant information with pirates. Prasad Sharma (name withheld on request) shared about price of the ship and cargo to gain their confidence. He also plotted against captain and other fellow seafarers by using captivity as a mode to avenge his grudges.
The vessel saw more pirates stepping on its freeboard as it reached Somalia. One who negotiated the ransom deal was a 55-years-old man who used to be a driver in Mumbai. He was educated, could speak Hindi and was well aware about India, says the second engineer.
“Pirates are diseased mentally too.”
Says the second engineer.
They are jaded with ailments like piles, asthma and STDs. They eat like beasts and drink filthy water and appear weak. The crew on MV Marida Marguerite was scared that pirates will extinguish the fuel as they never allowed them to put off generator and lights. Chirag and other men in white were tortured and battered. They were not allowed to talk to each other, they were forced to lie facing the ground when not working.
“We were tied with ropes for hours and hours.”
Says Chirag while narrating his ordeal.
To keep the terror alive pirates also fired a bullet closer to one of the crew member ears. It was disheartening to see our superiors brutalized and converted into slaves of pirates, says Chirag. To horrify the crew, pirates also locked captain of MV Marida Marguerite and told that he is dead as stated by Chirag.
Displaying no Arthurism, the second engineer bluntly says that he doesn’t wish to venture Gulf of Aden again but would continue seafaring. He concentrates more on oasis than torment in a desert and terms the captivity as a learning experience. Chirag suggests saving fresh water on a vessel is vital from the first day of sailing. We produced water for for our vessel and other captive vessels for eight months in Somalia, says Chirag. They produced fresh water for eight months at anchorage which helped their crew and other sailors on fishing vessels. MV Marida Marguerite gave 300-350 tonnes of fresh water to other vessels in need.
After eight months the nightmare got over. The ship owner agreed to pay the ransom. The seafarer was zapped to see how pirates became friendly with seafarers after receiving the ransom. Pirates offered the crew with wine and dates after receiving the ransom and greeted them. They called crew members their brothers and that they will miss them. They also sought forgiveness from crew if they were being hurt.
Keep your hopes alive, the only fuel to your life, laments Chirag with a tinge of smile. It is difficult to think about others during captivity but unity is very vital. Keep calm and save your energy. Listen to the pirates and follow their orders, do not risk your life, he advises. Use your energy when the time comes. Don’t dilute the hierarchy during captivity, please respect your superiors as you used to before the hijack. Keep the oil of patience burning and be friendly with them.
He considers shipping media a source to convey his message to the media in general and says that media should be careful about what is going in print or showed on screen. The seafarer also advises for written laws and procedures to be followed by ship owners and managers when hijacked sailors come back home. He supports rehabilitation not only for the captive seafarers but also for their family members. Chirag postulates sick leave of a piracy captive for at least three months and post piracy counseling for captive seafarers to come out of the past nightmarish cocoon.
Chirag, persistent and patient has been brave to share his tortures in piracy seminars after the release of the vessel. “I agreed to share my ordeal because it would change and add something to the information of those in white, I don’t believe things would metamorphosize early, I know it will take time,”
Says the second engineer.
He was unwilling to become a source to pound TRPs for TV channels through his ordeal of eight months of captivity so he kept it only to maritime magazines. A piracy affected seafarer must be compensated after release as some of them would not be in a state to join shipping as a profession again, states Chirag. They should be compensated to start something, according to him. He wishes to place period ahead piracy and is positive that it will happen. A simple guy from Ghaziabad, UP, charmed by sea affirms that he got scared to see pirates on his vessel. This second engineer aims at making seafarers aware that piracy is not a thriller movie but a dark comedy, dark for captives and comedy for pirates. He is wishful that shipping administration would resolve the issue so that one doesn’t have to narrate their ordeal of captivity. The predicament of captivity cannot be weaved in few words.
Ordeals of a captive are not only a way to understand what they went through but also why did they? One cannot understand how dreadful it is to encounter men with AK-47 and RPGs at sea in a distant land until they witness it. Learning lesson, it can be termed for the shipping companies, ship management companies and administration. Chirag Bahri is representative of each and every seafarer and cadets who will ventures these dark areas tomorrow and might fall prey to selfish motives of few hands. As Murphy’s Law states if things are left to themselves, they tend to go from bad to worse. We hope for a serious consideration in the green room.
-Vijaya Kandpal
