Zafar Iqbal spent 232 days as a hostage of Somali pirates before he and his crew were freed
Published : 14 Mar 2024, 11:43 PM
Thirteen years ago, Zafar Iqbal underwent a traumatic experience. For every minute of it, he was terrified for his life. The horrific memories of his kidnapping by a group of pirates in the Gulf of Aden still send chills down his spine.
After months in captivity at the mercy of armed men, his chances of survival seemed slim. It was only through unflagging patience and prudence that Zafar and his crew kept up their morale. Then, after 232 days, a light appeared at the end of their dark tunnel. It seemed as if they had been restored to life.
Over a decade after the incident, the hijacking of the Bangladeshi-flagged ship MV Abdullah by pirates has stirred those old, bitter memories.
Zafar, who survived the harrowing ordeal as the chief officer of the German vessel ‘Marida Marguerite’, had advice for any sailor trapped in similar circumstances.
The crew of the MV Abdullah will face tremendous stress, but they must remain patient, he said. Pirates will usually contact the owner of the ship, demand a ransom, and, after a long process, the ship and its sailors will be freed.
Highlighting his own experience, he said that pirates captured his ship on May 8, 2010. There were 22 sailors on board. Among them were two Bangladeshis, 19 Indians and one Ukrainian.
The Marida Marguerite, like the MV Abdullah, was also taken off the coast of Somalia. On December 5, 2010, the Bangladeshi ship MV Jahan Moni was also hijacked and taken in that area.
Having observed the behaviour of the pirates in captivity for over seven-and-a-half months, Zafar said, “Abdullah's sailors are going through a tough time now. Not everyone hostage has the same emotional state. Not everyone can take the same amount of pressure. Many broke during this time. They will have to stay strong, even in hard times.”
Pirates have no 'desire' to kill hostages, he said, adding, “Captured sailors are their capital. They have to collect the ransom money by threatening them. That is why the sailors in custody and everyone else have to face this incident with patience. There are insurance facilities for ships and goods. But the lives of the sailors are important to the pirates. Therefore, efforts will be made to keep them alive and collect the ransom. But the process is very long.”
Zafar was born in Feni but grew up in Chattogram. He had not married when he was taken hostage. Now he has a family and lives in Perth, Australia, working as an operations manager for a shipping company called Intertech Australia.
Recounting his experience at the hands of the pirates, he said, "At first, they were trying to scare us, and didn’t allow us to talk to our families at home. They would force us to try and get a ransom from the owners or our families using all kinds of mental pressure. Sometimes they would even beat the hostages. They need to remain mentally strong at this time.”
“The pirates on board the ship were all armed. They would sit on the ship and chew some kind of leaf. Their word is law there. But we had no understanding of their thoughts or actions.”
Chief Officer Atiq Ullah Khan of the MV Abdullah said in an audio message that the vessel carried 20-25 days of food stock.
Regarding his own experience of the food situation, Zafar said, “There was a food shortage on our ship as well. Then they made some arrangements. Rice, potatoes, and sometimes fish. They will do the same for the Abdullah.”
Family members of sailors on the MV Abdullah are no longer able to communicate with them as their mobile phones have been taken away.
This is a strategy of the pirates, Zafar said. After a few days, they will allow them to speak again, but only for a short period. The sailors are being used as pawns for nabbing a ransom.
The other Bangladeshi sailor on board the Marida Marguerite at the time of its capture was Second Engineer Gias Uddin.
The 22 sailors on board were released on Dec 28, 2010, after a ransom of $5.5 million was paid.
Zafar said they were held hostage for around 232 days. He said he spent most of the time with Gias. Their days passed in anxiety, panic, and stress. His family and friends also spent a miserable time during his captivity.
Now the sailors of the MV Abdullah will face the same situation.
Before the crew of the Marida Marguerite was released, the MV Jahan Moni – a Bangladeshi-flagged ship – was brought to the same coastal area. There were around 15-20 ships in total there under the control of the pirates, Zafar said.
Regarding the process of their release, Zafar said that the ship owners were in contact with representatives of the pirates from time to time. They negotiated the ransom and spoke to the representative for a final settlement.
If everything goes well, a bag of money is dropped into the sea by a parachute from a seaplane. After collecting and verifying the amount, the pirates release the ship and its sailors.
The same process will be followed in MV Abdullah's case, Zafar said, adding that they now had experience of freeing another ship thirteen years ago. Following that same process, the release of the sailors will be arranged.
Time is necessary to carry out the process and communication is important, Zafar said.
Everyone, including the sailors and owners, has to remain patient while keeping all the fears and pressures in mind to resolve the situation, he said.