Five crew members of MT Stolt Valor land in Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 24 (PTI) After spending nearly two months in
captivity, five sailors from hijacked vessel MV Stolt Valor
arrived in the city Monday.

Five members of the 18 Indian crew arrived at the city's
International Airport from Muscat at about 0500 hours, where
they were greeted by relatives and friends.

The ship was hijacked by Somali pirates on September 15
and the crew of 22 was kept hostage at the port of Eyl in
Somalia for nearly two months until an undisclosed ransom was
paid by the owners of the vessel.

The five sailors who arrived Monday in the city are
Naveed Burondkar, Isidore Fernandes, Alistair Fernandes,
Omprakash Shukla and Santosh Patil. The others are expected to
fly to their respective destinations from Muscat in the coming
days, officials said.

"It was a tense time on board the ship and we had to
manage somehow. I managed to speak to my family about four
times during the captivity," said Isidore, who was the head
cook aboard the ship.

"I have sailed on five ships and even in the Gulf of
Aden many times in the past, but this was the first time I had
such a bad experience," he said.

"All we had to do was to sit on the bridge of the ship
the whole day. After we were hijacked I had to cook for the
pirates for nine days but after that there was some food
arranged," Isidore said.

The crew survived on a diet of lentils and meat while
being held hostage and there was just enough for all the crew,
he said.

Alistair said they spent 24 hours of the day at gunpoint
on the bridge of the ship and could not do anything without
the permission of the captors.

"Even if we had to take a shower, only two of us at a
time would be allowed to go for it and that also under their
supervision. We had to take permission for everything," said
Alistair, who worked in the engine room of the ship.

Another sailor, Burondkar, said the pirates seemed
desperate people who could do anything to ensure they received
the ransom.

"Their only purpose was to get money and they seemed
like they would do anything for it," he said.

"There was no physical torture only mental torture of
having to sit at gunpoint all the time," Burondkar said.

The captain had warned them prior to sailing through the
Gulf of Aden that there was a risk of piracy, but despite
keeping watches on the deck they failed to prevent the ship
from being captured, he said.

Burondkar, a resident of Murud in Maharashtra, said the
Somali pirates, numbering about 30, were carrying Kalashnikov
assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades (RPG).

Describing the incident, he said, "on the day of the
hijack, the pirate ship fired an RPG at the ship but it fell
10 to 15 metres short and while continuously firing at us they
boarded the ship."

The pirates had a single negotiator who would talk to
the ship's owners and then inform the ship's captain about the
progress. The captain would then inform the crew about it, the
sailors said.

The crew were sometimes allowed to make brief phone
calls to their families which were often emotional, Alistair
said.

"I used to cry sometimes when I spoke to my family.
They would tell me that they were praying for me and I should
do the same," he said.

Burondkar said the pirates were constantly in touch with
each other regarding other hijacked ships and there also
seemed to be rivalries between the different pirate groups.

All three sailors said they presently have no plans to
stop sailing and would take a break prior to returning to the
seas again.

"I would want to take a break of six to seven months
after which I would want to start sailing again. I am the only
member of my family in this business," Isidore said.

"These things don't happen only on sea but also on land
where you have terrorism. What has happened was a nightmare
and I will go sailing again," Burondkar said.

The sailors added that crew of other vessels like MV
Delight, which has been hijacked by Somali pirates with seven
Indians on board, should not lose hope.

"The sailors should keep hope that they will see their
families one day. While we were being held hostage we would
mutually encourage each other not to lose hope," Burondkar
said.

For relatives, the return of their loved ones was a
reason to make up for lost festivities in the past two months.

"The last two months have been harrowing for the entire
family. Even Eid was hardly celebrated, but now after we go
home we will have to plan how to make up for it," said Zakir,
Burondkar's younger brother.

Nivrutta Patil, father of 19-year-old Santosh Patil, said
it was his son's first trip on a ship.

They would not ask him about the hijacking for at least
the next two months and would allow him to relax, he said.

"We have not celebrated Dusshera or Diwali, but we will
do so now," Patil said.

The family underwent many tense moments during the
hostage crisis and Santosh's mother has also fallen ill, he
said.

Abdulgani Serang from National Union of Seafarers of
India said that they appreciated the Indian Navy's efforts in
curbing piracy in the Gulf of Aden, but a UN patrol was
needed.

"Patrolling by UN force will ensure that all ships
travelling in the area are protected," Serang said.

At least 80 vessels have been hijacked this year in the
Somali coast area and the Indian Navy has deployed a warship
there to protect the Indian ships travelling the area.

Recently a Saudi Arabian vessel carrying cargo worth
approximately USD 100 million and a ship carrying tanks were
among those to be hijacked by the pirates.