Escape a miracle says seasoned captain

by Manjula Fernando

“It’s a miracle,” Sarath Weerawansa (62) a seasoned captain who hold 33 years of experience as a seafarer, with more than hundred odd voyages along the pirate infested Gulf of Aden, confessed of his recent escape from lawless Somali.

The veteran skipper of MV “Lo Lo Leila” and two of his Sri Lankan officers, who were illegally held by the Somali authorities, along with two Pakistanis, for nearly seven months, for no fault of theirs arrived home on March 24.

The Sunday Observer heard their story on Friday.

On August 11 last year Weerawansa and his Chief Engineer left Sri Lanka for Dubai to take charge of the merchant vessel MV Lo Lo Leila, owned by Al Hufoof Shipping of Dubai.

“On the 27th of same month we left the harbour of Al Hamriya. We took a cargo of automobiles, oil, food, clothing and building material to the Somalian Port of Berbera. One week before we set off, my sister vessel Mariam Star that was also captained by a Sri Lankan, left for the same port.

When I was at sea, about two days before reaching Berbera I received a message on my radio set that my sister vessel caught fire at the Harbour and the crew had been jailed.

I contacted my principals in Dubai and asked for instructions. I asked whether I should turn back. But he informed me to proceed with my cargo and assured that he will take care of everything. “

With his instructions Capt. Weerawansa reached Berbera on September 7 evening and berthed at the outer anchorage of the Port. Two days later the vessel was taken inside to discharge the cargo.

Capt. Weerawansa continued, “Later myself and my chief engineer went inside and visited the four Sri Lankans in jail. And I took the rest of the Mariam’s crew to my vessel. They were without food and other facilities.

On September 15th I completed discharging my cargo. When I got ready to sail off I was informed by my local ship agent that I cannot go since they will not issue the port clearance certificate. They notified the ship was under arrest.

I demanded to know why. I told him I have not done anything wrong, My cargo was intact, nothing was damaged nothing was missing. Then I was told the owner of the cargo in my ship ‘Omar’ had claimed US $ 2.5 million from my principals for the destroyed cargo in Mariam Star.

This Somalian owner had accused the crew of deliberately setting fire to the ship which was an utterly ridiculous claim.It was not backed by substantive proof.

Then we were shaken by another unexpected news that my principals in Dubai, the owner had refused to pay the damages. So until such time he settles the damages my ship and the crew was going to be detained. I was under custody. They took my vessel to the inner anchorage, kept two gunboats on either side and armed men on board as well as on the shore.

After one and a half months the four imprisoned Sri Lankans, Captain included, were released by the Somalian ‘kangaroo courts’. I call them kangaroo courts because they found no evidence of foul play to arrest this crew and put them behind bars. They were innocent.”

Capt. Weerawansa took the four of them also on board MV Leila. After one month of their release the entire crew of Mariam Star which also included Indians were repatriated with the help of the Ship’s owner.

I was in the habit of talking to my owner on a daily basis to inform him of the developments. At first he assured that he will secure the release of the entire crew. Gradually we were running short of supplies; food, water and fuel. Our wages were not paid.

Then I slowly got the hint that this man was trying to avoid us. He was trying his best not to pick up the phone. We were totally neglected. By then we were virtually living on the supplies doled out by other ships manned by Sri Lankans, calling at Berbera.

I informed of the latest turn of events to my wife in Sri Lanka and Nairobi Sri Lanka High Commissioner Jayantha Dissanayake. Then through him, I don’t know how, one person - a journalist came and contacted me and published an article in the Somali newspaper Headlines.

Subsequent to this news article, a German national who was operating from Nairobi made contact with us. He arranged interviews with several media persons. I was able to speak to Gulf News, Voice of America and so many other international media on the phone and explain our plight.

I told them this is a land of terrorists. A bunch of hoodlums are administering the state and that there was no free judiciary. Everything taking place here is illegal.

When it was made public the whole world got worked up including the Somali rulers and the Port authorities. They immediately summoned me and threatened that I should withdraw my statement. I refused.

Then I started getting life threats from the Harbour master, Port Manager and the Somali land officials. One day they took me to their capital Hargeisa that was 196 miles off Berbera. I was having a cyst near my eye. They told me they were taking me to a doctor. When we arrived I saw they had planned to have a press conference by me.

There were armed men inside and they threatened me to withdraw my statement at gun point. The camera focused on me. I repeated what I told the media earlier that this is a country of terrorists, run by state terrorism and state piracy. I will never deny what I said and you could do whatever you want.

I knew they could not harm me because by then the whole world was watching us and the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and Mr. Baur were closely monitoring the developments. On the way back I was mentally tortured as they could not bodily harm me. It had been six months since our illegal detention.

By this time I had fifteen of my crew with me which included three Sri Lankans - myself, the Chief Engineer and the third Engineer. We had to go behind the Port officials for food. At times I had to press them for about five days to finally get them hand us some food supplies. Our moral was very low and some of my crew attempted suicide because the events that unfolded before us made us believe that there will be no release for us. We were just looking after the ship like slaves.

Our health was fast deteriorating. I was having acute diarrhoea.

But our Consulate in Nairobi continued their good work to keep our morals high. They kept saying we will take you out of that place, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama have assured that to us, therefore keep faith.

Then we all decided to go on a death fast. Immediately our High Commissioner contacted us and requested me not to take such a harsh decision and get ourselves weak. The Foreign Ministry arranged for our airline tickets. The owner was refusing to pay for anything. Even with the tickets the Somalis refused to release us. The tickets were lying with the airline’s local agent in Somalia.

About a week back I became very sick and they had to rush me to hospital in the middle of the night. They were also scared that someone might commit suicide. All these factors and the pressures from the Foreign Ministry made them finally give up on us.

They informed us that they found a substitute Somali crew for the ship and that we will be released. On March 22 we started the vessel and showed them that it was in good condition. Then around 10.30 am local time our shipping agent lowered us on to a tug boat, and upon reaching the shore we were immediately rushed to the Airport. We boarded the first flight to Nairobi at 11.40 am. We wanted to be out of that place as soon as possible.

Capt. Weerawansa spoke very highly of the staff at the Nairobi Sri Lankan consulate. “We had our first proper meal, consisting typical Sri Lankan dishes in Nairobi. The staff were extremely kind to us despite our less-human demeanour after being stranded and treated as slaves at the hands of the Somalis for nearly seven months.

Though his wife was able to communicate with him through the Foreign Ministry, she and his daughter were extremely worried and facing hardships without his salary for seven months.

He said despite the near death experience he was ready to continue as a seafarer as it was his loved career. But he will think twice before working for a Gulf shipping company hereafter as it will carry the risk of cruising through the notorious Gulf of Eden and possibly another voyage to one of the Somali ports.

He had called over at Berbera once before and had taken this risky route hundred times before. About two years back he called over at Mogadishu, where the fighting against insurgents taking place. But this had been his worst nightmare.