Captains diary tells of failed escape attempts

Kim Dae-geun, captain of the Geummi 305 which was freed after four months of captivity by Somali pirates, said he failed to get the pirates to take sleeping pills in an attempt to escape them in the early days of the abduction.

Kim, 54, said he mixed 100 sleeping pills, which are usually used to put crabs under anesthesia, with five bottles of mineral water, and asked the chef, a Kenyan, to give it to the pirates. However, the chef asked him to stop, noting that pirates were divided into groups when they had meals.

In his diary depicting 124 days of captivity, which was obtained by Yonhap News Agency, Kim said that pirates mobilized Geummi sailors for piracy as they thought it was difficult for them to receive a ransom since the Geummi 305 was a relatively small fishing boat.

Pirates promised to free them if they were successful in hijacking more boats, and they were successful twice but the promise was broken, the captain recalled.

After they hijacked a vessel using Geummi 305, they gave them a goat, mineral water, coca cola and bread as “gifts,” Kim said.

As their captivity was prolonged, pirates gave the captain medicine for his diabetes and shared tuna they caught with the hostages, he said.

He said that sometimes, warships which were presumed to belong to the EU fleet approached and tried to stop their boat. “But the pirates did not mind as they thought that those warships would not attack them since they held hostages.”

“Warships approached our boat, but they withdrew without threatening the pirates,” the captain said.

금미호선장, 해적에 수면제 먹이려다 실패

소말리아 해적에 납치됐다가 4개월만에 풀려난 금미305호의 김대근(54) 선장은 피랍 초기 해적들에게 수면제를 먹이고 탈출하는 방안을 시도했다가 실패한 것으로 알려졌다.

김 선장은 피랍 초기 생수 5병에 대게(crab) 마취용 수면제 100정씩을 섞은 뒤 해적들이 물을 찾을 때 주도록 주방장에게 지시했지만, 케냐 주방장은 해적들이 조를 나눠 식사하기 때문에 들킬 가능성이 많다며 극구 만류했다고 연합뉴스가 전했다.

또 해적들은 금미호가 영세어선인 점을 고려할 때 몸값을 받기 어렵다고 판단하고 해적질에 강제로 동원한 것으로 나타났다.

해적들은 추가 해적질에 성공할 경우 금미호를 풀어주겠다고 약속했지만 2차례나 해적질에 성공하고도 약속을 어겼던 것으로 드러났다.

그러나 금미호를 이용해 해적질에 성공했을 땐 염소 1마리, 생수와 콜라, 빵 등을 선원들에게 선물로 주기도 했다고.

억류기간이 길어지자 선장에게 당뇨약을 전달하고 낚시한 참치를 나눠 먹기도 했다.

그래도 해적들은 유럽연합(EU) 함대 소속 군함들이 가끔 접근해 정선 명령을 해도 인질을 잡고 있는 이상 자신들을 공격하지 못할 것이라고 생각해 여유로운 표정이었다.

김 선장은 각국 해군은 접근만 했다가 별다른 위협을 주지 못한 채 사라졌다고 말했다고 연합뉴스가 전했다.