Terrified Crew Huddle Together as Call Goes Out to Sailors Society Chaplain

[By: Sailors' Society]

Too terrified to sleep in their cabins after coming under attack from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the crew of the oil tanker huddled together in corridors.

Their ship was just one of numerous vessels facing what is being described as the most sustained naval fight since World War II. In this case, the attack had started in the Gulf of Aden and continued into the Red Sea.

Panic-stricken and traumatised, one crew member reached out to Sailors' Society chaplain Ailton de Souza. 

Ailton is part of the global team at the leading maritime welfare charity. The team is available 24/7, 365 days a year to seafarers and their families via instant message or phone call and support them through crisis cases. Currently, this can be anything from Red Sea attacks to imprisonment, piracy or accidents at sea.

In this case, luckily, despite the Houthi’s missiles causing damage to the ship, none of the crew were seriously injured or killed.

"Some of the missiles came from above and the last one came from an unmanned boat,” said Aliton. 

"They were very scared because they received a message from the terrorists, who identified themselves as Houthis, over the radio, claiming responsibility for the attack.

"Due to emotional and psychological problems, the crew members could barely perform their duties on board - they were crying, did not eat well, slept together in the corridors out of fear, suffered panic attacks, woke up at any noise and had constant nightmares.

"In one of our conversations, the seaman said he was very grateful that I was always in touch with him, listening to what he had to say. At other times, after our chat, he said he would sleep better after finishing his shift."

Ailton, whose work is generously funded by UKP&I, continued to stay in touch with the seafarer, who wishes to remain anonymous, as he and a number of his crewmates left the ship, were treated in hospital and finally reunited with their families back home. 

"We will continue to be there for him and the rest of the crew as they recover from their ordeal."

Sustainability Director and Head of Club Secretariat for Thomas Miller P&I Ltd, Patrick Ryan, said: “The UK P&I Club recognises that, despite all our efforts to prevent crisis from arising, seafarers continue to face very challenging situations.  We are therefore delighted to be able to support the important work of the Sailor’s Society’s Crisis Response Network in supporting seafarers following such incidents.”