For disregarding our warning to oil, gas and chemical tankers to keep away from the
Niger Delta waters, six crew members from the chemical tanker, Siehem Peace were
seized about 20 nautical miles from Escravos on Sunday, July 5, 2009 by the
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and will be held until
further notice.
Their arrest is meant to serve as a warning to others that there are root issues
that have to be resolved with the Nigerian government before normalcy can resume
such as the return of displaced civilians to their ancestral home, compensation for
damages, return of the ill trained JTF to their barracks and last but not the least,
constitutional amendment to address fiscal federalism.
The names and nationalities of the crew are as follows:
- Captain Yuriy Shastim, Russia
- Chief Engineer Vasvi Bondarkov, Russia
- 2nd Engineer Viktor Koshevoy, Russia
- Cadet Banjit Singh Dhindsa, India
- Arivando Galima, Philippines
- Tavares Rouirgo, Philippines
The next tanker that is unfortunate to be intercepted will not be this lucky as it
will be set on fire after evacuating the crew.
Jomo Gbomo
