Four Ukrainian crewmen freed in Nigeria (06/20/99)

Four Ukrainian crewmen freed in Nigeria

by Stephen Vitvitsky

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - After almost two years of captivity, four Ukrainian crewmen of the M/V Dubai Valour - the captain, the chief engineer and two officers - were released on May 11. The four had been held hostage since August 1997, along with 23 others who were released earlier, by Chief Humphrey Idisi of Sapele, Nigeria.

The men were held hostage as part of an attempt by Chief Idisi to extort money from the ship's owner, a subsidiary of Gulf Azov, a Ukrainian government-run shipping company that deals with foreign vessels. He was asking to be compensated $5 million to $17 million for his lost cargo, which the ship's insurance company, UK P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Club, estimated to be worth only $170,000.

After releasing the majority of the crew in September 1998, Chief Idisi ignored orders from the Nigerian courts to release the remaining four. Chief Idisi controls a small informal army, which was the probable cause of the Nigerian courts' limited intervention in this matter. He also has some influence on the government becuase he was able to enlist the assistance of the Nigerian navy, which physically prevented the Maltese-registered vessel from leaving Nigerian waters.

The crewmen were not allowed to leave the ship or to have any visitors for the duration of the hostage situation. Conditions on the ship became consistently worse as time wore on, and medical complications threatened the lives of the four crewmen. There were reports of skin and gastro-intestinal problems and malnourishment, and the chief engineer was said to have suffered a heart attack.

The recent release was due, in large part, to the efforts of the Center for Seafarer's Rights (CSR) at the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) of New York and New Jersey. Though the ship's owner and insurance company tried to rescue the remaining crewmen, they were unable to strike a deal with Chief Idisi until support arrived from the outside in the form of the SCI and its contacts.

SCI reported that the United Nations requested the assistance of the Center for Seafarer's Rights on behalf of the four crew members' wives in an attempt to put political pressure from every possible source on Chief Idisi and the Nigerian courts. The CSR, in turn, looked to Ukrainian, Nigerian and Maltese authorities for cooperation and aid, and petitioned for the assistance of the Ukrainian community in the United States and Canada, as well as various human rights organizations. The CSR's major moves were an appeal to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and to the British Commonwealth's foreign ministers. The British Commonwealth played an especially significant role because it has been considering the re-admission of Nigeria into the Commonwealth.

The details of the release are unknown, however, it is most likely a result of the SCI's quick action and persistence. The director of the Center for Seafarer's Rights, Doug Stevenson, said he was "absolutely elated that the crew has been released. We hope that they receive the peace and rest they deserve."

According to Mr. Stevenson, this was one of the more dramatic situations that the SCI has encountered since its inception in 1834. He added, "The community of nations ought to take steps to prevent such things from happening in the future."

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