Pirate ordeal 'horrific'

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-25  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

INDIAN crew members released by Somali pirates said yesterday they lived in fear of being killed by the marauders who kept pointed guns at them.

The five crew members were among the first of 18 Indian sailors to arrive in Mumbai, two months after their Japanese-owned cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates.

Relieved friends showered flower petals on the men, while sobbing relatives hugged them.

"It was horrific, it was scary," crew member Alistair Fernandez said shortly after landing in Mumbai's airport from Muscat, the capital of Oman.

The pirates released the crew of the Japanese-owned Stolt Valor on November 16 after a ransom was paid, said Abdul Gani Sarang, chairman of the National Union of Seafarers of India. More than 80 ships have been hijacked off the Somalia coast this year.

Fernandez said pirates held them at gunpoint for 24 hours, and their captors followed the hostages at all times, even on trips to the bathroom.

Naveed Burondkar, another sailor, said the pirates were armed with assault rifles and grenades.