• Vessel Owners Says: “We are doing something about it”
• Ship’s Capt Says: “They were swept-off by the turbulence”
• Vessel Owners Says: “We are doing something about it”
• Ship’s Capt Says: “They were swept-off by the turbulence”
Apparently pushed to the wall about the mysterious disappearance of their sons who were on board an indigenous ship; MT Victory 1 which sank in September off Lagos, two families have raised eyebrows and written petitions to the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Inspector General of Police.
The petitioners gave the identities of the sailors who are presumably missing as: 2nd Engineer; Olatunde Abiodun, Electrician; Jerry Eyang and Able Seaman; Godwin Odeka, who were among the 16 crew who were supposed to be on board the ill-fated tanker before turbulence swept it away on September 21, 2013.
In the three-page petition dated October 21, 2013, a copy of which was made available to Shipping Position Daily, the embittered parents alleged that the owners of the ship; Multitrade Limited were negligent and nonchalant.
In one of the petitions signed by one of the parents; Mr VOA Abiodun, it was stated that: “The ship capsized on22 September off the shores of Lagos at a point along the area being reclaimed for the projected Atlantic city”. The parent alleged that: “No rescue operations were undertaken immediately or even three days later”. He added that since the accident, parents of the deceased have been going to the office of Multitrade yet there has been no information and none of the corpses has been found.
“My son, Olatunde Omotayo Abiodun is one of the crew members designated as 2nd Engineer and No 04 on the crew list or manifest, Godwin Odega as No 10 on the crew list and one Jerry Eyang as No 06 on the crew list “, the petitioner lamented.
According to him, parents of the deceased had to make N200,000 available to independent divers who combed the length and breadth of Lagos waters down to Epe, Badagry and Seme .
Curiously, Mr Abiodun concluded his petition by alleging that the missing sea men may not have died after all. “I strongly believe that these children were kept somewhere, they are not dead, the chairman of the company should be made to release them from his hideout”, he alleged.
When contacted by our correspondent the chairman of Multitrade; owners of the ship confirmed the accident and the death of the three crew members. He however assured that something was being done about it.
Similarly, the Captain of the ship; Rotimi Smart Alli confirmed the accident and the deaths when contacted by our correspondent.
Capt Alli also confirmed that he was not on board the ship when the accident occurred. “I wasn’t on board when it happened, but I was told that they were swept off by the turbulence, that was what I was told, I wasn’t there”, he stated.
“Any vessel can drift and any vessel can break anchor, but the situation would have been averted if there was help”, he added.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that the ill-fated tanker was last dry docked in August 2003, while its last annual special periodic survey and general survey was carried out on June 19, 2002.
To this, Capt Alli said, “from my discussion with the chief engineer, I think it had a dry dock, but not 2002, but I think it may not be up to date”.
Also, the chairman of Multitrade Limited; Mr Collins Egwuagu told our correspondent that there was indeed an accident; he didn’t talk about any calamities. He however told our correspondent that the company was doing something about it.
When prodded further about the MT Victory 1 saga, he said that he could not talk where he was and that he would get back to our correspondent.
Shipping Position Daily had reported exclusively last month that MT Victory 1 had been drifting for several hours during which it was sending Save-Our-Soul (SOS) messages to the relevant authorities, but it was unable to get help from any of them. Officers of the Nigerian Navy were also reported to have been contacted, but they allegedly could also not act.
The vessel was reported to have hit a rock around Lagos Bar Beach and had subsequently taken- in water that eventually led to her being grounded. Two crew members were immediately reported to have died in the accident.
According to the source who is a seafarer: “Two people died on the last vessel that sank, they called for help, but nobody came, the navy came but they could not do anything, they could not rescue it because they do not have the equipment, they are supposed to be well equipped with boats to rescue people”.
Our correspondent also confirmed last week that the crew on board MT Victory 1 actually sent distress signals to relevant authourities, when it broke anchor and started drifting before it finally sank.
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