Amazing guts. Update on the RAK AFRIKANA episode

Cadets ex RAK AFRIKANA speak to television media for the first time, in New Zealand, on what really happened when they had been hijacked by pirates.

The cool fortitude and strength with which they put their views across is eminently commendable.

Watch the news report here:-

http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/held-captive-pirates-6-11-video-4402259

Probably the best tribute they could give Capt. Prem Kumar and Capt. Ramdas K. Menon.

Hats off.

Here's an RTI on l'affaire RAK AFRIKANA that I filed . . .

To:-

 

Shri S.G. Bhandare, PIO, or incumbent PIO, under RTI Act of India 2005,

Public Authority the Dy. Director General of Shipping,

Jahaz Bhavan,Walchand H. Marg, Mumbai - 400 001 ( India)

 

dtd: 10th May 2011

 

Greetings & Jai Hind!!  Most humbly request information under the RTI Act of India, 2005,  please provide me with the following information. THIS INFORMATION IS SOUGHT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, AND THERE IS OVER-RIDING PARAMOUNT LARGER PUBLIC INTEREST TO BE GIVEN THE INFORMATION I HAVE ASKED FOR.

 

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INFORMATION REQUIRED:-

1) Please provide me a certified copy of following documents held by or available to your public authority. I would also like to inspect all concerned files online personally at New Delhi.

a) Please provide me with full style and address of the RPS agencies involved in recruiting and sending Indian seafarers on board the following vessels which have been hijacked/pirated for the period from 01 January 2010 onwards:- mv RAK AFRIKANA, mv ASPHALT VENTURE and mv SININ.

 

b) Please provide me with full style and address of the entities who are registered owners, beneficiary owners, desponent owners, tax-haven owners, secret owners, any other owners, as well as any entities holding lien on vessel and cargo of the above ships with Indian seafarers onboard:- mv RAK AFRIKANA, mv ASPHALT VENTURE and mv SININ.

 

c) Kindly provide me with information on whether contact has been established by DG Shipping with the entities mentioned in 'a" and "b" above, and if so, details thereof.

 

d) If any of the above said statutory records is not available, the complete details of how it was destroyed / weeded out in each case..

 

e) Electronic access to the catalogue (or catalogues) of all records of your public authority duly indexed in a manner and the form to facilitate right to information, either over the computer networks or in the form of a diskette or other electronic media at the prescribed fees.

 

Sent by eMail and signed hard copy, (signed) and humbly submitted,

 

 

Veeresh Malik,  D-61, Defence Colony, New Delhi - 11oo24   (mobile: 00-91-99118-25500)

 

Note 1:-Application fee of Rs. 10/- in cash shall be submitted within 30 days as per procedure laid down by DoP&T at PIO, DG Shipping, Mumbai, or at any one of the nominated APIOs located at the specified Post Offices in India, and a copy of this application along with receipt shall be sent to you co-terminus. Interim, you are requested to commence processing this RTI Application as per the RTI Act-2005 with effect from date of submission of this electronic copy, also as per the RTI Act-2005.

Note 2:- The public authority, Office of DG Shipping, Mumbai, has not yet published their arrangements to accept / accompany electronic payments for e-filings as per section 6 of the Information Technology Act 2000, is requested to do same, - and hence I am constrained to go to extra expense / trouble to file a routine email request by Postal Department also.

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Capt. Prem Kumar, RAK AFRIKANA, and the Indian consul in Dubai . . .

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Tale-of-fortitude-ends-in-tragedy/Article1-699628.aspx


Their strikes and demands are getting audacious but what Somali pirates, who continue to infest the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, do to the hostages is terrifying. Sanjay Verma, India's consul general in Dubai, would know. For 11 months, he worked for the release of Seychelles-flagged RAK Afrikana, without telling anyone that his brother-in-law was the captain of the 23-member crew, 11 of who were Indians, held hostage by the pirates. He didn't think it was professional.


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Read the rest of the article at the link provided.

Update on the RAK AFRIKANA

Of interest to Indian seafarers, since the ship is owned by Indian interests, and training onboard involved the Indian Government:- the RAK AFRIKANA, which was finally abandoned after she allegedly started sinking and the pirates left her in mid-March 2011, is apparently still very much afloat and drifting - last reported position 04-35N and 048-04E.

Meanwhile, there is talk that the whole thing is rapidly evolving into what appears to be a massive insurance scam, since also nobody knows really what cargo was onboard. Ras al Khaimah's position as a security threat is rapidly becoming clearer in the world, also, and there is rumour that the whole episode was an understanding between various parties.

The only sufferers were the seafarers onboard - who are being told to stay very very quiet about everything. If they talk, their compensation may suffer, their future may suffer, their sea-time assessment may suffer - and this is the real truth out there.

Where is the IMO on this? Maybe, they are in a meeting.

Nett nett:- no way seafarers can avoid sailing in piracy areas. However, ships need to have proper protection, which means safe citadels capable of withstanding atleast 7 days attack, and whatever more is possible. As well as reliable agreements for risk being taken back home.