Tuesday 23 February 2010

IRTC

This is my first time in blog writing- sorry, typing (writing is so old fashioned).

I am now in IRTC. Guess what this IRTC is. hmmm....Indian Rural, no, Romantic, Trainers Club? Oh, no dear. It is Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor. Who recommended it? We the sailor's community? No, by IMO. Again another abbreviation! International Maritime Organisation. Why this corridor in sea? How can you.....?

On my vessel's right it is Ethiopia, and on my left there lies Yemen. I stand right in the middle of Gulf of Aden. Here, you must have heard ships being hijacked by pirates and kept under their custody for months together. The drama will end when high level negotiators finalise the amount to be given to release the ship. (I have started secretly dreaming of becoming a negotiator for them; they must be fetching good sums!)

Heard that there are around eight ships in their custody now along with crew.
We entered into corridor early this morning 6'O Clock. But yesterday evening 6'O clock, while we were passing Bab-el Mandap (the entry into Gulf of Aden from Red Sea-just may be 12 miles wide) we could see one small boat carrying four men speeding towards our ship. Njangaletha viruthanmaar! We had hired one armed vessel of 22m length with five gunmen to take us through this area. Randu vedi pottichathode avanmaar parannu.

Hope to finish the corridor by day after.

Now, there are around 8 ships going as a fleet along with Indian Navy vessel and Coalition forces vessel. They are just behind us.


Anyway, all the best to us to cross this seas and be there at Dubai by first of March

habeeb

6 comments:

  1. so who is paying for the escort vessels? your company? may be pirates are hand in hand with the security vessel contractors. i scratch your back. you scratch my back.

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  2. My company pay for the escort. And Coalition and Indian Naval forces do it for the sake of 'humanity' and trade respectively, so many Indian ships you know.

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  3. Great Habeeb...
    I could not get hold of your book yet. Atleast let me start with your blog. Keep writing. It is interesting to see where the 'waves' are taking us all on the journey we all started together ...but in different directions ..some 25 years back...
    Good luck
    Madan

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  4. Interesting one. Eager to read more on the story of the sailor

    Santhosh (Your old tableau mate)

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  5. Bit late with my comments; I only just read this.
    Good start habeebi, keep going.

    Eipe

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