Source: The Korea Times
Hwang Sang-gi, the chief engineer of fishing ship Dongwon, which was hijacked by Somali pirates near the coast off the Horn of Africa back in April 2006, is now aboard another trawler sailing in the Pacific Ocean.
Dongwon was the first South Korea-flagged ship to fall victim of pirate attacks off the Coast of Somalia.
For the 48-year old Hwang, it’s hard to look back at what happened to him during his ordeal, which lasted for 117 days, without anger and pain. He and the crewmembers survived hell.
Hwang and 24 other crewmembers were freed after the Busan-based operator of the fishing boat Dongwon Fisheries paid a huge ransom to the pirates. The specific amount was not made public.
After Dongwon, seven other Korean ships, including the 11,500-ton chemical carrier Samho Jewelry whose captain and crewmembers were recently rescued after South Korean commandos launched a successful military operation, have been seized by pirates off the Somali coast, as well as in the Arabian Sea.
Once back home, these victims showed symptoms of severe post-crisis disorders.
Despite the trauma, Hwang and most of the sailors who went through the darkest days of their lives near the Horn of Africa have returned to work.
Before the pirate attack, Dongwon Fisheries had operated five of its 15 fishing boats in the Indian Ocean. After the incident, the company scaled back the number of tuna ships operating in that area.
Now two Dongwon tuna trawlers are in the Indian Ocean, in a location distant from the Gulf of Aden. Three others are in the Pacific Ocean, which is regarded as safe from pirate attacks.
“It’s true that the Indian Ocean near the Somali coast has abundant stocks. But it is simply too dangerous for our crewmembers to fish,†Lee Joo-lac, coordinator of Dongwon Fisheries whose main duty is to recruit sailors, told The Korea Times over the phone last Friday.
Partly because of the tough labor market situation, Lee said, Dongwon Fisheries has not faced crew shortages. “It’s hard for us to have sufficient numbers of crewmembers, but so far we have had no problem finding sailors, as foreign workers also apply for the posts,†Lee said.
“Our crewmembers no longer catch tuna fish in the Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden. We moved our fishing zone further into the Pacific Ocean for safety reasons.â€
Despite the danger there are ships such as oil tankers which have to cross the high-risk waters.
About 85 percent of South Korean oil tankers coming from Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries reportedly pass through the dangerous Somali waters.
These ships are escorted by a South Korean warship, dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in 2009.
The problem is there is only one warship available. If it accompanies one ship, others have to wait their turn or if pressed for time, embark on the trip at a heightened risk.
Not only do Somali pirates put the safety and wealth of crewmembers and ships at risk, but also the nation’s crucial economic interests.