Kerala - Kottayam   

Back from the land of pirates

Back home: Sujesh Geevarghese at home with his parents.

KOTTAYAM: “It was about 8.30 a.m. and we saw them coming on a speedboat. The alarm was switched on and all 28 of us were on the deck. There were six of them, all in their early 20s … with a menacing look and armed to the teeth,” Sujesh Geevarghese, a merchant navy chef back home after 56 days in the clutches of Somali pirates.

“They climbed to the deck using a rope and started shooting indiscriminately. The unarmed security guards had tried to repel them, by firing water cannon but had to give up after about 40 minutes of fight. The security guards then jumped overboard and were rescued by a German Naval helicopter. The crew was then pushed to the wheel house and the pirates took out the captain and took control of the ship taking it to their territory. That was the beginning of 56-day ordeal,” he said.

“We could see at least four other ships anchored in the pirate’s territory. One was released during their stay. MV Biscaglia was the 97th ship to be pirated off the Somalian coast.”

Mr. Geevarghese joined Ishima Pte Ltd., which manages MV Biscaglia, a tanker, on November 24. On its fateful journey, the tanker was carrying palm oil to Spain. The ship had set sail from Salala on November 26 night and was attacked in less than 48 hours. The crew, including 25 Indians (three of them Malayalis) and three Bangladeshis, were soon huddled into a tight corner of the wheel house.

“For the first many hours we were squatting on the floor and were not allowed any food,” Mr. Geevarghese said. This corner of the wheel house was their home for 56 days.

“Any little movement on our part would result in indiscriminate firing,” he said. They were allowed to call their relatives three times. Every time it was to ask their parents to put pressure on the owner of the ship to pay ransom. It started with a whopping $10 million, but came down to nearly $1 million, only to be hiked to $5 million. “I do not know the exact amount, but it is believed to be on the higher side of $2 million,” he said.

After protracted negotiations, the representative of the management came to the ship and ensured that all their employees were alive. They went back and came again with the ransom which was dropped into the sea by 11 a.m. on January 22. “Then, there was the long wait, when the pirates were counting the notes and verifying their authenticity,” Mr. Geevarghese said. They were freed by 5 p.m.

Back in Salala, they were taken for a medical check-up and had to stay there for three days before taking off to Mumbai. He was back home in the early hours of Saturday with his mother and father. His only sister is in New Zealand.

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