Indian Seafarer Who Was Held Hostage in Somalia for Four Years Recalls His Ordeal

Aman Kumar Sharma, who is an Indian seafarer, recounted the harsh conditions he endured after being held for 43 months by Somali pirates, who hijacked the ship he was working on in 2010.

According to him, he survived torture, six months spent in the forests of Somalia, and the sinking of the ship he was on, before he managed to escape and regain his freedom.

Aman Kumar Sharma returned to India on June 9, 2014, after nearly four years of being in difficult conditions that included kidnapping, torture, and constant fear.

Sharma, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, first went to sea at the age of 19 in 2010, joining the MV Albedo ship that he boarded at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai.

The ship, which had a crew from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Egypt, was hijacked on November 26, 2010, while it was sailing in the Indian Ocean, approximately 200 nautical miles from the Maldives islands.

Sharma stated that the crew saw a larger boat with armed pirates on board, who quickly seized the ship, although the crew attempted to close the doors and take shelter in a designated emergency area.

Once the pirates boarded the ship, they captured the captain and other officers, using torture to force the other crew members to surrender.

The ship was later diverted to the shores of Somalia, and it was anchored near Xarardheere, which at that time was one of the areas where pirates held ships they had hijacked.

When the ship was taken to the shores of Somalia, other groups joined the hijackers, and negotiations for a ransom began, which were linked to the owner of the ship.

The pirates demanded a ransom of 20 million dollars, while the crew members who were held captive were pressured to ensure that the money was paid.

Sharma stated that the torture of the crew increased, with some being forced to lie outside for many hours, while other crew members were injured, and some had their fingers cut off.

The situation worsened when the pirates killed Raju Rajvar, who was another crew member of Indian origin and a close friend of Sharma.

Rajvar was shot after the pirates threatened to kill some of the crew members, and Sharma said that when he saw his friend being killed, the hijackers threatened him that he would be the next person to be killed, which created fear and despair.

On the other hand, Sharma's family made significant efforts to secure ransom money, as his parents and sister sought help from charitable organizations, relatives, and people connected to the shipping industry.

These efforts included organizations advocating for the safety of seafarers, but the ransom negotiations failed several times, as there were disputes between the parties involved in the payment agreements.

After seven workers from Pakistan were released following the payment of a ransom, Sharma and the other workers were taken to a forest near Xarardheere, where they had been for six months.

He stated that life in the forest was very difficult, as they would sleep under trees, were unwell, and had access to limited water of about two liters per day.

In 2013, the workers were returned to the MV Albedo ship, after being informed that a ransom agreement had been reached,

However, the situation worsened again when the ship began to take on water and started to sink.

Four workers from Bangladesh attempted to swim to a fishing boat that was visible from a distance, but they drowned in the waters.

Sharma, who could not swim, grabbed a rope, and was eventually rescued by fishermen from Cambodia who entered the water to save him.

Although the ship sank, Sharma and the other workers did not gain their freedom, and they were once again returned to the forest.

He mentioned that the torture there intensified, and he himself was deprived of his fingernails, and another attempt was made to demand a ransom, but it failed when a German captain sent to bring the money absconded with the funds.

Finally, Sharma and the other workers decided to plan an escape, with the help of a person from the pirates who provided them with a phone and a SIM card, and they contacted people in India and the United Nations.

They prepared a plan to include sleep-inducing medicine in their food, so they would have a chance to escape.

The plan was implemented, and around 3 AM, 11 crew members escaped from the 23 people who were originally on the ship, leaving the place where they were held, carrying documents they had salvaged from the shipwreck.

After walking until dawn, they encountered Somali forces who took them to a hotel and provided them with food and clothing.

The next day, a United Nations plane took them to Kenya, where they met people participating in efforts to secure their release, and Sharma returned to India on June 9, 2014, where his family was eagerly waiting.

However, his recovery was not swift, as he faced terrifying nightmares, struggled with light sensitivity, and found it difficult to eat regular food.

He stated that he needed psychological counseling and medical support to recover from the mental injuries he sustained during the captivity.

Sharma's efforts to rebuild his life bore fruit, and he returned to his maritime job in June 2015.

He now works on ships as the officer in charge of deck operations.

He got married in 2020 and has two children, celebrating the day he returned to India, June 9, as a second birthday, in addition to his actual birthday on November 8.

The story of Sharma comes at a time when concerns regarding Somali piracy are resurfacing, and as reported by The Indian Express on October 18, 2026, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) confirmed in July that 44 seafarers were held hostage on three hijacked vessels, of which 16 were Indian.

The report also stated that two other vessels with 22 Indian nationals on board were hijacked in August, bringing the total number of Indians held on hijacked ships to 38 across five vessels.

However, the ordeal faced by Aman Kumar Sharma highlights the severe impact of maritime kidnappings on the workers and their families, while also shedding light on the dangers that crew members face from pirate groups as they navigate the high-risk areas of the Indian Ocean.