136 DAYS

136 Days
Untold Story of MV SEA JOHANA SURVIVORS

“136 Days” unfolds a mesmerizing tale of Captain Kazim Abbas, whose life takes an unexpected turn aboard MV Sea Johana. Setting sail from Dar es Salam to Gujrat, the voyage quickly becomes a nightmare when technical issues leave the ship stranded near Somalia’s treacherous coast. Little did the crew know that they would soon fall into the clutches of merciless Somali pirates who ruthlessly hijack the vessel and take them hostage.

As the gripping memoir unravels, Captain Kazim finds himself enduring unimaginable horrors, especially due to his religious beliefs. With rival tribes vying to sabotage any attempts at ransom, the hostages are trapped in a harrowing struggle for survival. Amidst this chaos, Captain Kazim suffers a debilitating foot injury, triggering a race against time to save his limb from amputation. The bravery of his fellow captives becomes a beacon of hope, as they rally to save him from the brink of despair.

Each passing day becomes a desperate battle for freedom, as the hostages cling to hope while facing relentless torment. But who can they trust? As the twists and turns intensify, alliances form and break, revealing the true faces behind their captors and the murky dealings that led them here.

With every page, “136 Days” keeps readers on the edge of their seats, evoking a sense of suspense and horror that’s hard to shake off. The tale of resilience and survival will leave you breathless, wondering how they managed to endure such trials and emerge on the other side.

Narrator’s profile

Captain Kazim Abbas

Captain Kazim Abbas belongs to Karachi. He received his early education in Karachi. After completing his Bachelor of Science degree from Karachi University, he joined the Merchant Navy as a cadet in 1995. After serving as a cadet on various vessels for forty-one months, he obtained his Second Officer’s license from Maritime College in England in 2000. He continued his services as a Third Officer and Second Officer in various shipping companies worldwide.

In 2004, he passed the Chief Officer examination from Blackpool and Fylde College in England and continued to serve as a Chief Officer on different vessels. In September 2006, he entered into the bond of marriage, and in 2007, he obtained his Captain’s certificate from Blackpool and Fylde College in England. He served as a Captain on various ships until 2008. In May 2008, after being selected as a Marine Pilot in the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) in Singapore, he completed one year of training and served as a Marine Pilot in the Port of Singapore until 2018. In 2018, he joined DP World in Dubai as a Marine Pilot and has been serving as a Senior Marine Pilot at Jebel Ali Port, Port Rashid, and Dubai Harbour.

You may contact Captain Kazim at his email address:  mvkazim@hotmail.com

TIMELINE

Captain Kazim joined the ship (MV Sea Johana) as Second Officer in October 1998.

Ship left the port of Mombasa (Kenya) on 15th December 1998. Conincidently, it was the borthday of Captin Kazim (Second Officer at that time)

Ship was hijacked on 23rd December 1998 near the cost of Somalia

Crew released from captivity on 7th May  1999 through the border of Kenya

Crew member from Pakistan arrived at Karachi Airport on 14th May 1999

In 2013, the writing project (in Urdu) started by Saghir Mehdi Zaidi, and completed in January 2018

First Edition (in Urdu) published in July 2018 by Welcome Book Port Pakistan

First Digital Edition (in Urdu) published in Adeeb Online in June 2022

Second Edition (in Urdu) published in December 2022 by Adeeb Online

Third Edition (in English) published in July 2023 at Amazon (Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover), Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Smashwords, KOBO, and other platforms.

Forth Edition (Audio Book) will be released soon…

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Chapter - 01

My Dream

The ship was sailing toward its destination, gently splashing the tranquil waves of the sea. At the time, I was working on this ship as a Second Officer. Once, during my free time, I was dwelling over the obscure thoughts of the past, times that were long gone.

Lying on a cozy bed in my cabin, I was reminiscing about my dream of captaining a ship. To actualize this aspiration, I stood in need of a license from the United Kingdom. This could only be earned after receiving a degree from Maritime College UK. On top of that, no less than 39 months of experience on a ship was required to get into that college. In that moment, I was reflecting on the hardships that I had encountered while being recruited as a cadet onboard, one after another.

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Chapter - 02

Police Station

The agent took us in a large van to the hotel, where we had to stay for a day or two before boarding the ship. Overcome by drowsiness and a desperate need for rest, we crashed at the hotel almost immediately. We wanted to be well rested before beginning our work, but perhaps nature had written something else for us.

It was obvious that all of us experienced a sense of danger after our appointment, but all our worries were based on our arrival at the ship and the sea. Little did we know the land of Tanzania would prove to be a living hell for us. We had been in the van for twenty minutes, with no idea as to how far the hotel was when a police jeep overtook our van and stopped us.

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Chapter - 03

The Haunted House

We had been concerned about the ship since the first day, but we still did not expect it to be so run-down. We assumed that its constant immersion in the sea for years would have rusted its outer surface. The moss must have gotten stuck on it, obstructing its flow in water. For so long, the engine would have been affected by its anchoring. It would be more accurate to say that the engine would not even start if it was not repaired. The salted seawater would have corroded and rendered the anchor useless. The cranes used to load and unload cargo could also sustain damages.

But we had no idea its condition would be so pitiful and deteriorate from the inside to such an extent. Not a single cabin was in decent condition. Their doors were thrown open and burnt. The cabinets were shattered. The water in the restrooms was non-existent. Everything was covered in a layer of dust about an inch thick.

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Chapter - 04

The Pirates

The Fifth Engineer (Zakariya Sabir) said in a petrified tone, “Second Sir, the armed men have boarded the ship.”

When I nervously pulled back the curtain from the cabin’s porthole, I discovered that men were swarming everywhere. We arrived at the deck, panting in shock and fear, to find a swarm of black people everywhere. Dozens of men armed with cutting-edge automatic weapons surrounded the entire crew of the ship. Fortunately, these people were dispersed, with only ten or fifteen people standing in a circle around our staff. We were lined up with our colleagues as soon as we reached the top.

Among these locals, there was only one person named Abdul Malik who could understand and speak English to some extent. So, the process of communication with them started through him.

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Chapter - 05

Jailhouse

After covering about ten to twelve minutes, we were stopped at some place. Abdul Malik told us that the Leader of the War, Shah Hussain, would address us here. This operation began today at about 7:30 in the morning. It was eleven o’clock by then. We were told that we would be returned to the ship by 12:30 p.m. after meeting with the Leader of the War. We were not even one percent sure of what he said at the time, but when Abdul Malik told us this as we arrived here, we had a faint hope that we might be sent back on board after that speech.

A few moments later, a car came and stopped there. Everyone became respectful. Abdul Malik went forward and opened the door of the car, from which appeared a man of fifty to fifty-five years of age. He took a glance at his men, and then he examined us carefully as if he was doing an X-ray through his eyes.  And then, he started his speech in Arabic.

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Chapter - 06

The First Hope

I don’t know what time it was when I was awoken by a loud noise. We did not understand what was happening for a long time. When I regained consciousness, I saw the smiling faces of the Chief Engineer and the Captain. They were happily embracing each other and congratulating themselves on their freedom. I, too, stood up in a trance. I was completely awake, but I still could not believe what I was seeing. For as long as anyone could remember, not even a faint smile was seen on our faces, let alone expressing happiness like that.

I prayed from the bottom of my heart, “Oh Lord, may this not be a dream.” And at the same time, two drops of tears dripped down from my eyes. It was truly the moment of emerging from our prayers when the Chief Officer moved nearer, hugged me, and while patting my back, he said, “Congratulations, Second Sahib! The negotiations have been successful.”

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Chapter - 07

A Victim Of Torture

At that time, the situation was such that fifteen of us were standing in a semi-circle. Ahmad and Mustafa stood in front of us as symbols of wrath. Behind them, armed men stood in the room and even outside the open door, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Ahmad spoke to us in English, his tone apoplectic with rage, and said, “Hey, those of you who are Shiites, step forward! I know that two among you are Shiites. I also know your ranks and names. Before I drag you guys out of here, come forward on your own.”

Everyone else remained silent after Ahmad‘s words, but the Fourth Engineer Zaheer addressed the Second Engineer and said, “Yar, Second Sahib, please tell him. Otherwise, he will kill all of us.”

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Chapter - 08

The First Miracle

Abdul Malik, on the other hand, kept scaring us every day, saying, “Don’t worry! All your problems will end soon. Your fate has been decided. Ahmad will come the day after tomorrow to end you. You only have to bear the suffering for one more day.”

Either one of his duties was to keep the slaves in mental distress all the time, or he himself was a psychological terrorist who used to satisfy his feelings by mentally torturing others. Anyways, our fear subsided to a great extent after Khalifah came. And as soon as we realized that the arrival of Khalifah was actually a sign that our prayers had been heard, the intensity of our supplications increased drastically.

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Chapter - 09

The First Camp

After arriving at the destination, we found out that we were not released from prison, but only our whereabouts had been changed. Not only that but upon seeing the people who came out of the camp upon hearing the sound of cars, even I, who had lost hope, was horrified. The people who were there were not remotely expected to be there. These were thirteen companions of ours whom we believed had reached their homes. Just as we were amazed to see them, they were astonished to see my uncle and me with the Captain.

We asked them spontaneously, “Are you guys still here?” From the other side, many colleagues addressed both of us at the same time, asking incredulously, “Are you guys really still alive?” Some people approached me without waiting for an answer. The Chief Officer was already assisting me to stand, and a few other comrades joined him in offering me support. As we came in and sat down, their first question was how I had survived Ahmad‘s violence. They had seen his wrath with their own eyes, so their surprise was justified.

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Chapter - 10

Poisonous Thorn

The Captain immediately sent Zakaria Sabir to the Somali guards. During his stay in the previous camp, he had a lot of gossip with some guards, especially a guard named Razzaq, partly because he himself was a friendly man and partly because they saw him talking to Ahmad with great frankness. However, Zakaria could not find Razzaq at that time, but two more guards came with him, and he asked as soon as he came, “What color was the thorn?”

Apparently, I expressed ignorance, so they carefully examined my leg. They observed me from the thumb to the knee without touching it and said, “Immediately cut off his leg six inches above the knee, or he will die.”

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Chapter - 11

The Second Miracle

One day, when we had not even finished the Zuhr prayer, suddenly, a loud explosion took place. After that, the continuous noise of firing bullets made our ears ache, and the smell of gunpowder began to spread in the air. Abdul Malik entered the room in a state of consternation, saying that the enemy had attacked. We were strictly forbidden to go out. The situation was strange. We trembled with fear. Forgetting our own safety and release at that time, we were praying with tears in our eyes for the safety of our kidnappers and their victory.

How strange it was that, at that time, none of us thought of praying to God for our own safety and deliverance instead of praying for these miserable people.

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Chapter - 12

The Good News Of Freedom

As per the plan, the vehicles left, taking along the three companions, leaving only eighteen of us here, who had to walk 22 kilometers to reach the Kenyan border. Once again, Abdul Malik addressed us and said, “We have to pass through the enemy’s territory, which is their stronghold, and they have their eyes on us at every moment. The slightest carelessness can be extremely dangerous for you guys, so you all must strictly follow what I am saying now:

  1. You must walk while being very close to each other. Under no circumstances should you allow even the slightest distance between you.
  2. You should be completely quiet when passing through that path. No matter how much you feel the need, do not talk at all.
  3. You will have our guards in front and behind you. As soon as the group of guards in front of you stops, you will have to stop immediately.
  4. (He then said while breaking a thick twig in his hand,) If you hear the sound of a twig breaking, immediately lie down on the ground and do not get up until you hear another sound like this.”

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Chapter - 13

The Journey Of Freedom

I don’t know what time of night it was when someone started hitting heavily at the door. At first, we did not comprehend anything. When we pulled ourselves together, we asked in a startled tone, “Who is it?” Jamal ud Din‘s voice came in response, “Come on out immediately. We must go to Lamu now.”

As we came out of the room, he shouted in panic, “Run! We are heading for the boats. Shah Hussain’s men have attacked us. They have arrived here to pick you up.”

We ran at full speed toward the shore behind two or three of his men. He himself started following us in his car. It was a matter of life and death for us.

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Chapter - 14

The Miraculous Coin

Ethiopia was suffering from the worst famine in those days. Newspapers around the world were full of pictures of starving children, women, and the elderly, but the way they fed us on the plane, hardly any other airline in the world served so much food to its passengers. Every hour and a half, some other dish was served to us. However, according to our schedule, our airplane stayed in Addis Ababa for an hour and a half. Then as it flew from there, it took us to Karachi exactly at twelve o’clock at midnight. Before landing, the Captain of the airplane made a formal announcement and said, “We have ten people with us, including the Captain of the Sea Johana ship. Their ship was hijacked, and they were taken hostage by the Somali pirates. After much struggle of life and death for five months in a row, these guys have now returned to their homeland. We heartily congratulate them on their return to their homeland and urge you all to let them go first. Until they all are gone, you may please remain seated on your seats.”

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