Seaman Guard
The ship Seaman Guard, engaged in an anti-piracy operation, was running low on fuel. It stopped in Indian waters to refuel, unaware that the fuel was stolen.
The crew was arrested and, during investigations, the vessel’s weapons certificates were found to have expired. The 35 men were found guilty of weapons charges and given a five-year prison sentence.
Having survived 10 months of captivity at the hands of Somali pirates, the Ukrainian Captain now found himself in an Indian jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
While in prison, Captain Valentin Dudnik received a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
With the help of a lawyer, his family managed to get him transferred from jail to a hospital, where he underwent multiple bouts of radiation and chemotherapy.
Valentin had returned to sea after his ordeal with Somali pirates because he wanted to protect ships and seafarers travelling piracy-affected areas of the world.
Four months after taking charge of the ship, Valentin and the 34 other crew members were arrested, for allegedly transporting arms without the correct paperwork and illegally obtaining fuel.
The crew was understandably shocked and back home the families were suffering too.
“We did nothing illegal and I wanted to believe that it would be resolved quickly and we’d be released from jail.” Valentin said.
But the Indian and Ukranian crew would remain in jail and, through their imprisonment, Sailors’ Society’s CRN team was on hand to offer support on a daily basis.
CRN team member Manoj Joy provided welfare and financial support for the crew and their families throughout their ordeal. He regularly visited the ship’s Indian crew members as well as Captain Valentin and his Chief Engineer, who were split between jails more than 14 hours journey apart.
“The men are distraught and are often in tears. The families are too poor to travel to see them. I tell them not to lose hope, Sailors’ Society is here for them and their families.”
A trained lawyer, Manoj also helped the seafarers’ lawyers prepare an appeal.
A judge at the Madras High Court dismissed the charges against the crew. The CRN team, who specialise in trauma recovery, were waiting to offer counselling and support to help them reintegrate into their communities.
Once the crew were released, Manoj travelled to the prison to meet them and organise their transport back to their loved ones.
“It’s a very emotional day for the families. They have been suffering terribly, not knowing when they would see their fathers, husbands or sons.
“As for the crew – it can take considerable time and support to recover from an ordeal like this. They have missed precious years with their loved ones, including births and deaths of their close family. Now the work starts to help them rebuild their lives.”
But it was not all good news. One crew member remained in jail – Captain Valentin. Manoj continued to support him.
In November 2017, the Chennai Appeal Court announced that Valentin had been acquitted and he returned home to Ukraine.
“Manoj visited me in the prison hospital every week and it helped me to survive.”
Other CRN case studies
Bereavement trauma
In July 2017, the fishing vessel, the Maredon, on her maiden voyage, capsized off the Eastern Cape of Africa. The 16-man crew were terrified.
Shipwreck
In February 2022, the crew Tresta Star was bunkering (taking on diesel fuel) in mid Indian Ocean when Cyclone Batsirai hit.
False imprisonment
The CRN team were contacted in August 2022. A crew of 16 Indians, eight Sri Lankans, one Polish and one Filipino national, had been detained by Nigerian authorities, accused of attempted oil theft and faking a piracy attack. All part of a wider political dispute.
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