'It wasn't exactly Pirates of the Caribbean', engineer says
A crew member of the hijacked Sirius Star supertanker has told how he had an emotional reunion with his wife in Dubai.
Chief engineer Peter French, 45, described his ordeal to a British newspaper, saying that after being freed the crew were taken ashore on Tuesday.
He was then reunited with his wife Hazel at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dubai.
French also spoke of the moment the ship - carrying two million barrels of oil and run by Dubai-based Vela International Marine - was boarded on November 15, 724km south east of Kenya.
French said two dinghies were spotted and it was clear they were being followed.
French said: "The captain ordered the Filipino crew to man the fire hoses. Jets of water were our only defence.
"A speedboat came alongside and the pirates flung a long ladder with a hook over.
"They shimmied up the ladder and on to the deck, they were armed with AK47s and rocket-propelled grenades.
"The captain had already stood down the crew members with the fire hoses. After all what can a water hose do against a rifle?"
He added: "They looked a motley crew, some wearing trousers and cheap shirts.
"This wasn't exactly Pirates of The Caribbean."
He added: "They immediately demanded, of all things, safety shoes - because they were worried about their feet on the deck."
The ship was ordered to head to Somalia and the pirates forced the captain to open up the safe and searched all the rooms for goods to steal.
The crew were only released on January 9 after its owner, Saudi company Aramco, paid a dhs10 million ransom, which was dropped into the sea by an aircraft.
© 7Days 2009
