Crew of the MV Arrilah-I, who were freed over the last weekend after their vessel was hijacked, escaped their attackers by hiding in citadel as pirates repeatedly tried to force them out, including using smoke.
The 21 sailors and 3 unarmed security guards remained secure in the stronghold, known as a 'citadel', despite the pirates shooting at the entrance and pumping in smoke to cut off their oxygen. Breathing apparatus, food and water and the ability to control the ship and communicate with nearby vessels and aircraft was available in the citadel. The safe room and other defence precautions, including regular anti-piracy emergency drills, were an important element to keeping the crew safe until UAE and US forces stormed the ship on Saturday, April 2.Rhynhardt Berrange, the head of Global Maritime Security Solutions, which supplied the guards, was briefed by his men on Sunday night. “They continually tried to breach the citadel,” Mr Berrange said yesterday. “The successful resolution of this incident demonstrates the importance of adopting best management practices. Safety standards must be in place for dealing with all emergency situations.” Around 09:00, UAE time, the MV Arrilah-I crew spotted a suspicious vessel, reported later as the dhow, Jelbut 28. Shortly afterwards, 2 skiffs carrying 9 or 10 men sped toward the MV Arrilah-I. As they approached, the attackers began firing; “They shot at anything that moved,” Mr Berrange said.
The crew of the bulk carrier sprang into action, following protocols practised several times during their journey from Australia to Jebel Ali. Reportedly, one security guard drew fire towards himself by popping into and out of sight to create a diversion while the others completed their assigned tasks to lock down the ship and retreat to the safe room.
The crew and guards on duty stayed outside the safe room, watching as the skiffs feigned a move and disappeared, Mr Berrange said. Soon after, they noticed the first pirate boarding at the stern of the vessel – at a point where no boarding has been known to take place. The men then withdrew to the safe room. One crew member was slightly injured when a grenade was thrown down the funnel which is connected to the safe room. They were able to control the ship from the safe room and continued to navigate the ship towards UAE waters with a coalition aircraft guiding them from nearby. 10 pirates eventually boarded the vessel.
The men tried to maintain contact with the coalition forces in the vicinity. The location of the citadel, however, made communications difficult, although the crew had managed to contact UKMTO, which is the organisation that coordinates commercial shipping and navies for counter-piracy in the region. Around midnight the first naval vessel arrived, a US warship equipped with a Black Hawk helicopter. Two other vessels under the command of the US Navy Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain were in the vicinity to provide support, said the Navy spokeswoman Cdr Amy Derrick-Frost.
UAE forces followed early on Saturday. They communicated with the crew to assess whether they should try to retake control of the ship based on international guidelines (More can be read in an OCEANUSLive editorial here). The key criteria in such situations are that the crew are safe and separated from the pirates, that they have communication with the naval forces and that they are able to control the movement of the ship, said a NATO representative, Cdr Stein Olav Hagalid.
The rescue mission was quickly accomplished, Mr Berrange said, praising UAE special forces. He declined to elaborate to avoid revealing information that could risk future operations. The ship was scheduled to return to Jebel Ali port on the night of April 4. The pirates were to be handed to the Ministry of Interior and will be prosecuted in Federal courts, according to Eisa bin Haider, a Dubai based advocate, legal consultant and maritime law expert, as UAE has jurisdiction over their flagged vessel, international and regional waters the National.ae.
Update: Video of crew recounting their experience of the pirate hijack and attempt to break into the citadel 30 hours under seige - The National.
Subscribe to our newsletter.It arrives in your inbox days before the online version, and does not require a document download.
OCEANUSLive.org
Information, Security, Safety; Shared
