At mercy of Somali pirates, Indian sailors recall agony

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Six Indian sailors onboard MV Iceberg I, which was in captivity of the Somalian pirates for two years and nine months — the longest hijack on Somalian waters — on Sunday, narrated horrifying experiences of the tortures they faced at the hands of the hijackers.
Apart from being driven to starvation, the sailors faced betrayal from their management and also witnessed the death of a co-worker.
MV Iceberg 1 was hijacked by 24 crew members on March 29, 2010. It had sailors from six countries — eight from Yemen, six from India, five from Ghana, two each from Sudan and Pakistan and a Filipino.
Unable to bear the physical and mental torture Wagdi Akramm their fellow sailor jumped overboard on October 27, 2010. “A group of pirates, who were approaching the vessel spotted Akram jumping; they brought him back aboard, but he had died by then,” said Ganesh Mohite, one of the sailors.
The crew requested the pirates to send the body to his family, but their pleas were turned down. As diesel was in stock, the pirates restarted the freezer meant to store meat and preserved his body. Four months later, after they ran out of diesel, they decided to dispose Akram’s body.
Recalling the dark days, Swapnil Jadhav said, “Later, news came in that the shipping company was unwilling to pay the ransom and that they did not care if the ship was destroyed or if the crew died.”
“The pirates showed us the news of a group of 60-80 pirates being arrested by the Indian Navy and asked us to inform the Indian government to free the arrested or else threatened us with dire consequences,” said Santosh Kumar Yadav, an oiler on the ship.
The chief officer Dhiraj Kumar Tiwari too was physically tortured repeatedly by the pirates; one day, he suddenly disappeared from the vessel. The sailor is still reportedly missing.
On another occasion, the pirates held the crew at gun-point so that they could hijack another merchant vessel.
The situation worsened when Puntland Maritime Forces intervened to free the 22 sailors. While the pirates were counter firing, the sailors were forced to lie on the floor; the bullets were passing just inches above them, the sailors claimed.
During the 13 days of crossfiring, Mr Jadhav was hit once, and had to do without any medical help for four days. Finally on December 23, 2012, the pirates gave up and Mr Jadhav got the much needed medical aid.
Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist, who is counselling the sailors and their families, said, “These sailors do not know whether they should continue with their profession.”
Chirag Bahri, regional director, Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme, added, “We had a meeting with authorities who are ready to provide jobs either onboard or at shore depending on what the sailors want to do.”