Jack Sparrow, they ain't

I am the eldest of three siblings. My sister who is the youngest in the family is doing Mathematics at the Kuantan campus of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). My brother who is two years younger than me is the Chief Engineer currently on board Bunga Melati Tujuh, one of the ships in the fleet of the Malaysian International Shipping Company (MISC).

Imagine my worry when news got out that two of MISC's ships - Bunga Melati Dua and Bunga Melati Lima - have been hijacked on 19th August and 29th August by Somali pirates at the Gulf of Aden. My brother's ship was in Sri Lanka and was heading towards the Gulf of Aden. I was informed by my sister-in-law who was in contact with MISC that Bunga Melati Tujuh has been directed to slow down while awaiting further instructions. And the latest instruction was that the ship was to return and not proceed to the Gulf of Aden. This area is seeing a surge in piracy of late.

I watched the news on television earlier tonight. Apparently, there are four Malaysian vessels near the pirate-infested waters. And that all four have been told to not enter to the high risk area. In the meantime, efforts are on-going to obtain the freedom of the 65 Malaysians being held hostage, along with 35 others.

I am indeed thankful that my brother who heads the engineering crew, as well as his shipmates, aboard Bunga Melati Tujuh are safe. At the same time though, I pray for the safe return of the crew members who are being held captive by these modern day pirates. And I also pray that their family members remain strong and hopeful.

Personally, if not for the fact that my brother works in the shipping line, I would be very oblivious to the importance of this industry to our nation's economy. And I suspect many are like that, too. The people who work on board sea vessels actually sail on dangerous waters, spending their time away from their family and loved ones for months at end, while transporting precious cargo crucial for the import-export business. They are, in fact, our modern day "unsung heroes" carrying out their duties for the sake of the nation and its people.

Let's not keep a blind eye on news that involve these "unsung heroes" just because they occur thousands of nautical miles away from home.