The pirate cook smuggled food to the terrified hostages held by his gang off the Somali coast. He bought them cell phone cards. And when the pirates started talking about harvesting their organs for cash, he sneaked them guns.
The hostages killed the pirates and escaped. But now the life of the Somali cook, known only as Ahmed, is in danger. Despite actions the crew described as heroic, European Union nations, Syria and nearby Djibouti have all refused to take him, according to an official who was not authorized to talk.
Ahmed has since disappeared. It is thought to be the first time someone working for the pirates has turned against them to help hostages.
“Sending him back to (Somalia’s) shore would be putting him to death for his compassion,” said John S. Burnett, the author of “Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terrorism on the High Seas.” “This smacks of a bureaucratic bungle … it’s a line in the sand. No Somali pirate will ever risk showing any modicum of compassion again if he knows he’s not going to get any help from the authorities.”
The tale began Feb. 2, when the pirates hijacked the MV Rim, a Libyan-owned, North Korean-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. The crew radioed international navies, but help arrived 15 minutes after the pirates seized the ship. International naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off Somalia generally don’t intervene militarily after pirates take a ship because of the danger to the crew.
During the first two months, the pirates gave food and water to the crew of one Romanian and nine Syrians. But when talks about the $300,000 ransom went nowhere, the pirates grew impatient. The crew got little food or water, Virgil Teofil Cretu, the 36-year-old Romanian crew member, said in an interview in Costanta, Romania.
Cretu, who as the coxswain had steered the ship, and the Syrian sailors drank rainwater and cooked rice in seawater. Their diet was augmented by whatever Ahmed could sneak to them.
Various pirate groups bought and sold the ship and crew, Cretu said. One of the rotating pirate guards was a gun-wielding 13-year-old. Ahmed bought a SIM card to use in a cell phone the crew had hidden from the pirates, so the hostages could speak with relatives.
But the negotiations were not going well. No one from North Korea, Libya or Syria would agree to pay a ransom.
On June 2, Ahmed told the crew that the pirates had decided to kill them and harvest their organs to get some money out of the seajacking. Ahmed secretly passed the crew three Kalashnikovs. That’s when “all hell broke loose,” according to Cretu.
“There were six pirates guarding us. We started shooting. I shot like mad. The pirates were taken by surprise. They opened fire, shot each other also by mistake,” said Cretu, who was wounded in the back during the firefight. “This lasted for about 45 minutes. All in all, we annihilated them pretty quickly. Some we threw overboard, to the sharks.”
“It was like being in a commando fight. In fact, my Syrian colleagues on board nicknamed me Rambo afterward,” said Cretu. He credited his compulsory military service with getting him through the fight.
One last pirate who had hid in a cabin jumped overboard himself when the ship started sailing. All six pirates were killed or went overboard.
The crew started their engines and steamed away, pursued by more pirates in another hijacked vessel. The MV Rim’s old engines stalled, but an EU Naval Force helicopter swooped down just before the pirates closed in, hovering between the two ships and buying precious minutes.
After the crew was taken off the MV Rim, the EU Naval Force let the ship drift in the Gulf of Aden. Cretu said the ship was to have been scrapped after delivering in India a load of kaolin, a soft white clay used in making porcelain and many other products.
Now the crew has gone home, but Ahmed is nowhere to be found. His last known location was the Dutch warship Johan de Witt.
“In my mind, cook Ahmed was an angel sent by God,” said Cretu. “Without his intervention, without his courage, we would have been dead.”
The EU Naval Force won’t say if he was set ashore in Somalia — where he faced execution by pirates or clan members of the brigands who died — or sent away alone in a small boat to navigate the high seas at the beginning of monsoon season. EU Naval Force officials said they had investigated repatriation and migration options for Ahmed but would not give details.
The MV Rim was Cretu’s first job as a ship’s crew member. On Thursday, he boarded a ship on the Danube River in Romania to start his second high-seas adventure.
Ahmed remains on his mind.
“I owe my life to my Somali friend and I want to take him into my home if possible so he and his family can change their lives,” said Cretu.
IMB Raises Alarm Over Upsurge of Piracy in Asia
The IMB has warned of increasing pirate attacks in the south of the South China Sea following six incidents in as many days in waters off Indonesia.
Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) piracy monitoring centre said the latest attack brought to 14 the number in the area so far this year.
He said On Wednesday a Singapore-flagged container ship was boarded by six armed pirates who stole cash and property.
“The attacks that began on June 10 are concentrated in an area near Indonesia’s Anambas, Natuna and Mangkai islands,” he told AFP.
“We have issued alerts on the area in the past and have again informed the Indonesian authorities, asking for an increase in patrols,” he added.
“The attacks go down following an increase in patrols but they slowly creep up again once patrols are reduced,” he added.
Choong said a Malaysian-registered tanker was boarded on June 10 in the area while a South Korean cargo vessel was attacked the same day.
A Cypriot container ship was boarded on June 12, a Chinese-flagged tanker was attacked on June 13 and a Singapore-registered tanker was robbed on June 15, he added.
“The pirates usually attack in the hours of darkness and they target the ship’s safe, property and personal belongings,” Choong added.
“Unlike Somalian pirates, the ones in the region abort their attempts when they are spotted so we advise all vessels to ensure they are vigilant to prevent such boardings,” he added.
SHIPTALK:
A GLOSSARY OF SHIPPING AND MARITIME TERMS
VOYAGE CHARTER – A contract whereby the shipowner places the vessel at the disposal of the charterer for one or more voyages, the shipowner being responsible for the operation of the vessel.
WATCH – The day at sea is divided into six four-hour periods. Three groups of watchstanders are on duty for four hours and then off for eight, then back to duty. Seamen often work overtime during their off time.
WAYBILL – A non-negotiable document that acts as a receipt for the goods and evidence of the contract of carriage.
TUG – A small vessel designed to tow or push large ships or barges. Tugs have powerful diesel engines and are essential for manoeuvring large ships around the port. Pusher tugs are also used to push enormous trains of barges on the rivers and inland waterways of the U.S. Ocean-going salvage tugs provide assistance to ships in distress and engage in such work as towing drilling rigs and oil production platforms.
TRADING LIMITS – Maritime area usually specified by range of ports in which a vessel may operate
TRAMP SERVICE – Vessels operating without a fixed itinerary or schedule or charter contract.
TIME BAR – Time after which legal claims will not be entertained
TIME CHARTER – A form of charter party wherein owner lets or leases his vessel and crew to the charterer for a stipulated period of time. The charterer pays for the bunkers and port charges in addition to the charter hire.
TOP-OFF – To fill a ship which is already partly loaded with cargo.
is immediately adjacent to the shores of any country and over which the sovereignty and exclusive jurisdiction of that country extend. South Africa’s territorial waters extend for 200 nautical miles offshore.
TEU – Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (containers): A measurement of cargo-carrying capacity on a containership, referring to a common container size of 20 ft in length. A 40ft long container is measured as being 2TEU.
STERN – The bow or rear of the ship; an upright post or bar of the bow of a vessel.
STERNWAY – The reverse movement of a vessel.
SAFETY 2
WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT
(Between June 20 and 25, 2010)
• 23.06.2010:
2106 LT: Posn: 10:16.38N – 064:42:20W: Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela.
Two robbers attempted to board a tanker by climbing the anchor chain. Crew spotted them and raised alarm. Robbers jumped back into the water and escaped in their speed boat.
• 22.06.2010:
0110 UTC: Posn: 07:01S – 039:51E: 50nm from Dar es Salaam, off Somalia
A RoRo vessel spotted a suspicious skiff approaching it. The vessel altered course to prevent the skiff from coming closer
• 22.06.2010:
0205 UTC: Posn: Puerto la Cruz anchorage: Venezuela.
Deck patrol onboard an anchored chemical tanker noticed a small unlit boat near the anchor cable and immediately informed the duty officer who raised the alarm. See crew alertness the robbers jumped overboard and escaped. Upon investigation the crew discovered the paint locker broke into and ship’s stores stolen.
• 21.06.2010:
1359 UTC: Posn: 13:32.7N – 042:59.1E: Bab el Mandeb: Red Sea.
Six pirates armed with guns in a skiff chased a bulk carrier underway. The vessel made evasive manoeuvres and enforced anti piracy measures. Pirates in the skiff opened fire on the vessel. Due to effective anti piracy measures the vessel evaded the attack.
• 20.06.2010:
0330 LT: Posn: 22:12.9N – 091:43.1E, Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh.
Eight robbers armed with knives boarded a Ro-Ro ship during anchoring operations. Robbers attempted to attack a duty crew who ran into the accommodation and called the bridge duty officer. Master raised emergency alarm and crew mustered. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped with stolen stores.
• 20.06.2010:
0230 LT: Posn: Kakinada anchorage, India.
Robbers boarded a general cargo ship at anchor. They stole ship’s stores from the forward locker and escaped. Port control informed.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY: How To Identify A Pirate Boat
How do you tell the difference between a Somali pirate in a small boat and a largely identical, but innocent, fisherman? It all comes down to the ladders.
Pirates often take fishing gear out with them to help feed themselves, and fishermen often carry AK-47s for self protection. Grappling hooks are easily hidden.
But naval officers say that if they see a small boat with long metal ladders lashed to the deck, they know for sure the occupants have gone to sea with only one thing in mind.
Maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters flying along the Somali beach can pick out “pirate action groups” putting to sea and feed the information back to warship and command-centre operations rooms.
“You can see the giveaway signs that this is a pirate gathering,” says Andreas Kutsch, a German naval officer working as an assistant chief of staff for the European Union’s anti-piracy task force.
On any given day, the United States estimates that 30 to 40 warships are involved in counter-piracy efforts from the EU, Nato and the US as well as China, Russia, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
The latter tend to concentrate on escorting convoys of their own national vessels, while the Western-led forces spread themselves across the region to protect all shipping regardless of flag. There is no overall commander, but the navies meet once a month in Bahrain and co-ordinate through an internet chatroom.
At the British base north-west of London that houses the headquarters of both the EU and Nato forces, personnel co-ordinate and monitor shipping a quarter of the world away.
Two merchant navy liaison officers, on loan from their companies, communicate with ships by e-mail and phone, pointing them towards convoys and the safest routes.
But this does not seem to be deterring the several thousand Somalis that Western military officers believe are involved in the growing piracy industry, with the numbers roughly tripling since a year ago.
Despite the risks of bad weather, high seas and being picked up by a foreign warship, the potential multimillion-dollar ransoms from ships is just too great a temptation.
Naval officers say heavy patrolling along the Gulf of Aden’s Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor – where they hope to get a helicopter to an attacked ship within 15 minutes – has been effective.
But most of the more than 15 ships and hundreds of sailors held off Somalia were taken south of Aden in the wider Indian Ocean, where navies cannot cover the vast area.
Professional Hazard: Philippines Sailors Top List Of Victims Of Piracy
• 500 Seafarers Captured In Six Years!
A Philippine labour official said last week that some 500 Filipino seafarers have fallen victim to pirates in the past six years, underscoring the growing problem of sea piracy in international waters.
In his speech at the 99th International Labour Conference, Labour Secretary Marianito Roque urged the United Nations (UN), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to intensify efforts on keeping international seas safe.
He said international organizations should focus on sea lanes in and outside the Gulf of Aden where “serious attention and combined effort (need to) be extended to ensure the safety of commercial maritime traffic and workplaces in the area.”
The Gulf of Aden is a shipping route off the coast of Somalia that has seen increasing incidents of sea piracy.
“The situation before is that the sea jacking was happening in the Gulf of Aden. The UN has intensified the patrols in the area but the pirates have gone outside the Gulf to just about anywhere,” he said in his speech at the Assembly Hall of the UN Palais Des Nations.
Roque said approximately 500 Filipino crew members were kidnapped by pirates in the past 6 years. At least 40 are still awaiting rescue, he added.
The labour official said 30% of the world’s seafarers are Filipinos, according to statistics from the Philippine labour department.
The Philippines deployed 305,000 seafarers last year, which is a 15% increase in sea-based deployment compared to the 11% increase in the deployment of land-based workers.
Roque said the increase in deployment bodes well for the Philippines, which is also being affected by the global economic crisis. “Many shipping companies prefer Filipino seafarers because of their abilities and good work ethic,” he said.
Discussion about this post