الدعوات لأحبابنا عثمان بخلن و محمد الفاضل أن يقيل الله عثرتهم

“@AnsarBurney: 21 crew including 6 Pakistanis of MT Morning Glory would be released Tomorrow and from Libya leave for respective countries sunday evening”

“@CapitalTV_News: Pakistani crew members of the recently released vessel MT #MorningGlory handed over to the #Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli #Libya. #CapitalTV”

Homecoming: Morning Glory crew to return in few days






KARACHI:
The Pakistani crew of the Morning Glory oil tanker is expected to return home within the next two or three days as five members were released by the Libyan government Tuesday night. The remaining sailors would also be set free very soon.

The six Pakistanis were being kept in a detention centre in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, since their arrival in that country. Five of them – including captain Mirza Noman Baig, second officer Mehdi Shamsi, third officer Asif Hassan, and crew members Naik Zada and Muhammad Arshad – were handed over to the Pakistani ambassador, while the remaining chief officer Ghufran Marghoob would be released in a couple of hours as he is assisting the Libyan authorities in offloading the vessel.

Social activist Ansar Burney, who met with the Sindh governor on Wednesday to discuss their arrival, said the entire 21-member crew, which also includes six Indians, three Sri Lankans, two Sudanese, two Syrians and two Eritreans, have been released by the Libyan government and are being handed over to their respective government representatives.

“The crew have a new life and it’s a miracle that they are safe and sound. The arrangements for their return are complete as we are going to bring them back all together in the next two to three days,” Burney told The Express Tribune.

The Morning Glory oil tanker owned by Dubai-based Saud Shipping had set off to Tunisia on February 25 but its owners told the crew to move towards Libya. At a Libyan port, the vessel and the crew were taken over by Libyan rebels, who stole national oil worth $20 million and loaded it on Morning Glory in a bid to sell it.

Taking the crew hostage, the armed Libyans forced them to move the ship out of the country’s territory and sail towards Cyprus. The Libyan government appealed to the US government to take action against the rebels and the US Navy Seals conducted a raid, took the rebels into their custody, and brought the crew and the vessel back to Libya.

Here in Karachi, Ghufran’s older brother Hassan told The Express Tribune that his brother would be handed over to the Pakistan Embassy in a couple of hours. “My brothers along with two Sudanese crew members have been called to help in the offloading. There is nothing to worry about and he would be released soon.”

Currently, the released men are in the possession of the Pakistan Embassy but their location has not been disclosed because of security concerns.

Speaking from Lahore, Captain Noman’s jubilant wife, Qurratul Ain, said she had spoken to her husband who was doing well. “I went into a recluse. But yesterday, when I got the news that they were free, I finally stepped out of the house after a month.”

Second officer’s father Shuaul Qamar Shamsi said he was very happy to know that his son had been released. “The past few days had been very tough and depressing as there were news reports of the rebels wanting the crew and vessel back. But I am happy now that it is over. However, I will be truly happy and at peace after I see my son in person.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2014.








http://tribune.com.pk/story/690696/homec...-few-days/

It was amidst rose petals and warm embraces that the Pakistani crewmembers of the Morning Glory oil tanker were welcomed upon their return to the country Saturday morning at the Jinnah International Airport. One remaining member is yet to be handed over by the Libyan government.
Similar scenes and sentiment were witnessed in Lahore, where the wife of Captain Mirza Nauman Baig expressed profound gratitude to government officials, media and human right activists who facilitated the recovery of the hostages.
“The period during which Baig and his subordinates remained in captivity was extreme misery for us,” Quratul Ain said, referring to her husband and other crew members. “We knocked on all doors for help and we got help.”
Out of the five crew members who reached Karachi, four including second officer Mehdi Shamsi, third officer Syed Asif Hassan, crew members Mohammad Irshad and Naik Zada touched down Saturday morning, as the captain flew directly to Lahore.
Chief officer Ghufran Marghoob, who is still in Libya, is said to be assisting the authorities in offloading cargo from the vessel.
At the Karachi airport, an emotional Asif Hassan kissed his young son and said his return marks a new life. “When we were stuck at sea and no help was coming, we thought it was the end,” he said. His brother Tauseef said it was a difficult time for the family but that they are elated that they have been reunited.
The Morning Glory oil tanker belonging to a Dubai-based shipping company had set off from an Egyptian port on February 25 with a 21-member crew, which along with six Pakistanis included six Indians, three Sri Lankans, two Syrians, two Sudanese and two Eritreans.
On March 8, when the ship was at a Libyan port, it was taken hostage by rebels who loaded oil and forced the crew to move the vessel out of the territory. The crew was rescued on March 16 when US Navy Seals carried out an operation, took the rebels into custody and recovered the crew and vessel, along with oil worth $20 million.
After spending a few days in a detention centre in Tripoli, the crew was handed over by the Libyan government to the Pakistani ambassador, Javed Zia. Second officer Mehdi Shamsi, whose home was flooded with friends and family in celebration, said that Syrian, Sudanese and Sri Lankans were still in Libya along with one Pakistani. He said they have been instructed not to speak about the unfortunate incident till their remaining crew member is released.
The 26-year-old, clad in a Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt, summed up his trip as a ‘bad experience’. However, he plans to return to sea for work. “It’s all part of life, and I had been trained to deal with such situations.” The young man said, however, that he would now be careful, and before taking up any shipping contract would investigate the agents and companies involved.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2014.