Story of Indonesian Ship Captain Held Hostage by Somali Pirates

It has been a full week since four Indonesian citizens were taken hostage by Somali pirates who launched their attack on Tuesday (21/04). Negotiations for ransom money are ongoing, according to the family.

So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims to be continuously coordinating intensively with all relevant parties in Somalia.

An international relations researcher is pushing for an Islamic organisational approach to ensure the safety and release of the hostages.

Several parties assess that the emergence of Somali pirates is not unrelated to the influence of the United States-Israel conflict with Iran. As the world focuses on the Middle East conflict, incidents of ship attacks in Somali waters have resumed after several years of lull.

The case of Indonesian citizens being held hostage in Somalia is not the first time it has occurred. In one hostage release incident, it became a historic milestone for Indonesia in overseas missions.

The moments of the attack in a voice message

The head of Santi Sanaya is still haunted by the fate of her husband, Ashari Samadikun, who is currently tossed about at sea under the strict supervision of 30 armed Somali pirates.

Ashari, as the captain of the tanker MT Honour 25, along with his crew, was reported to have been taken hostage while sailing from Oman to Somalia since Tuesday night (21/04).

During the moments of the siege, Ashari managed to contact Santi to say that his team was in a dangerous situation.

Santi’s mobile phone rang, and a voice message notification appeared via WhatsApp from Ashari on Tuesday (21/04) around 7:30 PM WITA. His voice message: the ship is being attacked by pirates.

Without thinking twice, Santi immediately called back. The tone was busy. But there was no response.

“Then after a few hours, his phone was no longer active. My communication with him [Ashari] was completely cut off,” sighed the 26-year-old woman when met at her home in Pacellekang Village, Pattallassang Subdistrict, Gowa, on Monday (27/04).

The tanker MT Honour 25 carries 17 sailors. They consist of four Indonesian citizens: Ashari Samadikun as the ship captain from Gowa Regency, Adi Faizal as 2nd Officer from Bulukumba Regency, Wahudinanto as Chief Officer from Pemalang, and Fiki Mutakin from Bogor.

The rest are 11 Pakistani citizens, one Sri Lankan, and one Indian.

‘Assalamualaikum, don’t shoot me’

Ashari’s and the crew’s mobile phones were confiscated by the pirates from the first day of the attack. But on Friday (24/04), Ashari was given the opportunity by the pirate group to use the ship’s phone to contact the company and his family.

In that moment, Ashari told Santi many terrifying things that happened during the attack, including “being threatened with guns several times.”

When the situation was already surrounded, Ashari tried to calm the pirates by saying he was ‘a Muslim’.

“My husband greeted [the pirates] with ‘Assalamualaikum, don’t shoot me. I’m a Muslim’,” said Santi, imitating Ashari’s words.

“Then the pirate also said ‘are you a Muslim?’”

“My husband said ‘yes’. Then the pirate also said ‘I’m a Muslim too’,” added Santi, who believes this religious status is important in the tense situation.

The husband and wife pair, who have been blessed with two daughters, last communicated on Sunday night (26/04). Santi said her husband reported that the pirates were negotiating with the company for ransom money.

“After that, my husband said not to contact me again, either on my phone or the ship’s phone, because he’s afraid the pirates might take the phone,” she said.

During the week of being held hostage, Santi continued, Ashari and his friends are in good health. They are still given food and allowed to pray.

“But whenever the pirates feel threatened by an attack, suddenly everything [becomes] tense again. Because my husband was threatened with a gun by the pirates several times,” she said.

In one video call opportunity, Ashari showed parts of the ship with bullet marks.

What is the chronology of the Somali pirate attack?

According to Santi’s account, her husband only realised the pirate attack after about 15 armed men had already boarded the ship.

“After that, they were told to gather all their phones. All held,” explained Santi.

Santi explained that before Ashari left for Somalia, she had asked her husband if there would be any escort there.

“Because I also know that Somalia is usually prone to piracy. So I said, how about it, is there escort from the office, the company? Then he [Ashari] said no,” clarified Santi.

However, Ashari was able to reassure his wife that the tanker he was commanding was carrying government-owned oil cargo. “So Insha Allah, nothing will happen.”

Currently, said Santi, Ashari and his friends are being taken near the pirates’ base, about three miles from the coast. They are under strict supervision.

“About 30 pirates now because they’re already close to their base,” she said.

“My husband’s colleagues, including his team, are very helpful with this issue. Today also, his friend in Jakarta is going to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report this incident.”

Santi hopes the government does not remain silent in this incident.

“I hope the government can help, especially Mr President Prabowo. I hope my husband and the other crew, including the Indonesians among them, are helped to return to Indonesia all safe and sound, without missing anything.”

According to the ShipAtlas website, the hijacked ship departed on 20 February from the port of Berbera in the Republic of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed autonomous region that declares itself a country, though not internationally recognised. Then, the ship arrived near the coast of the United Arab Emirates shortly after the Middle East conflict began.

The shipping route then shows the ship circling in waters near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz before turning back.