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Sailors’ Society is on hand to welcome home crew of the Heroic Idun

6 Jun, 2023

Members of the Sailors’ Society’s global Crisis Response Network are travelling to Cape Town today (June 6) to welcome back the 26 crew of the MT Heroic Idun after supporting them and their families through a 10-month detention by Nigerian authorities.

The CRN team will be available for the next three days to offer pastoral and psychosocial support, as needed, and to help prepare them to be reunited with their families after this ordeal.

The crew of 16 Indians, eight Sri Lankans, one Polish and one Filipino national are due to arrive in port tomorrow (June 7) and will be staying in a local hotel while they wait for flights to take them home.

The international maritime charity has been in contact with the crew since they were first detained in August 2022, after the crew was accused of attempted oil theft and faking a piracy attack.

Sailors’ Society CEO, Sara Baade, said: Our Crisis Response Network is a highly effective global response programme which has been operating for more than five years. It provides 24/7 care and support to seafarers, their families and shipping companies following critical incidents such as this.

“In this case, both officers and crew were in touch with us over the phone and asked us for help. We were happy to listen and support them.

“They particularly wanted us to support their families back in India until they were released and this became crucial when their phones were confiscated by the Nigerian authorities.

“We have been supporting the families in the Kochin, Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar areas of India for the past 10 months.”

Among those awaiting the return of their husbands, sons, brothers and fathers is Stephania who should have celebrated her fourth birthday back in November.

“Stephania insisted she wouldn’t celebrate her birthday until her dad returned home. At four years old, she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t home sooner to be with her. But now both father and daughter can’t wait to be reunited,” Sara explained.

Sailors’ Society CRN team supported the families through the postponement of several trial dates and were on hand when the news finally arrived that the crew and their vessel had been released. They are now preparing the families for the crew members’ return - and the support won’t stop there.

“As any kind of unresolved psychological distress is likely to surface within a few weeks of returning home, our team will be offering follow-ups with the crew and their families,” Sara added.

Our CRN, funded by The Seafarers’ Charity, TK Foundation and UKP&I, responds to crises every month, with piracy and medical incidents (including those as a result of an injury) being the main issues.

For more information on our Crisis Response Network go to https://www.sailors-society.or...

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