Sinking in the Gulf of Mannar
 When
a cargo ship sank off the coast of Tamil Nadu, AOS worked
with union representatives and other welfare agencies to
care for the crew.
Cargo ship the M/V Geradu Empire was carrying cargo from
the port of Tuticorin, south east India, to the Maldives in
October 2007. The twelve crew members of the Maldivian ship
were of Indian, Sri Lankan and the Maldivian origin. When
the ship was 36 nautical miles from Kanyakumari, the engine
room began to fill with water.
One of the crew described what happened,
“A huge crack had developed at the bottom of the 30 plus
–year old vessel. The water gushed in and one of our crew
members pressed his foot on the crack, hoping to prevent the
water getting in. But he pulled out once the water reached
his neckline, we tried every thing to stop the water, but
nothing worked,”
Another crew member said,
"I tried blocking the water by placing sand bags on the
crack that had developed. But very soon the water rose to my
neck. I could smell death."
The captain explained how they were rescued,
"We noticed the water entering at around 11.30 am on
October 16. We could not do much to stop the water inflow.
Then we dispatched distress messages through the wireless
and a German ship, M/V Scan Brazil responded by 2.20 pm. The
rescue operation was completed by 5 pm."
Four days later, the crew of the M/V Geradu Empire
arrived in Chennai where the ship’s agent arranged for them
to stay in a hotel. AOS port chaplain Fr Anthony Baliswamy
and ITF inspector Mr Sreekumar immediately started working
together to help the seafarers. They became involved in
discussions over payment of the crews’ salaries and
compensation which was settled satisfactorily after six
days.
The chief officer of the ship said,
“Since the time we arrived Chennai, we are thankful to
Mr. Sreekumar of ITF, Fr Antony of Apostleship of the Sea
and Mr Manoj Joy of Sailors Helpline for assisting in all
possible manner, including our stay in Chennai and making
arrangements to get in touch with our family and arriving at
a settlement with respect to our wages and compensation.”
This story has a happy ending but it illustrates that the
life of a seafarer is full of danger. In addition to threats
of harsh weather and rough seas, seafarers’ lives are
threatened by substandard ships. Some crew members of the
M/V Geradu Empire claimed that the radio beacon, which
indicates the ship’s position when sending emergency
signals, failed to function when the ship was sinking. They
also alleged that there was no emergency generator.
Fr Anthony wishes to express his thanks to the captain of
M/V Scan Brazil who saved the seafarers from the sinking
vessel.
Photograph: Fr Anthony, second from left, with members
of the crew in their hotel room |