Forced to lie

Zhang and his fellows were forced to make calls to their family to ask for ransom. Pirates usually beat them harder while they made calls to get the sympathy of their families.

Sometimes the prisoners were forced to lie about their situation to their families. Zhang once lied to his mother that his friends' legs had been cut off.

"The pirates would beat us if we refused to tell lies, and we had to put pressure on our families to push them to rescue us as soon as possible," Zhang said.

Zhang Qian, Zhang's 56-year-old mother, passed out on Jan 27 after hearing that her son's nails were pulled out by the pirates. In fact, her son was unharmed.

To help her son out, Zhang Qian and his father went to Beijing many times looking for help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Commerce.

Their nightmare ended on July 17, when the crew was released.

"On July 17, the pirates took us to a beach and forced us to leave. I thought that they were going to execute us," he said. "We walked forward for a while, and when I turned my head, I saw that the pirates were gone."

Soon after that, the men were picked up by a helicopter from a Chinese warship, and they got their first showers in 19 months.

Zhang Leilei came back to his village on Wednesday morning, and all of his relatives lined up in front of his house to welcome him.

Zhang's fellow crew member Li Guoqi, 22, said he will never work on the sea anymore.

"I thought that being a seaman would make me a lot of money, but all I got was torture in the past five years," he said. "I will be obedient and dutiful to my parents in the future."

Training needed

Zhang Leilei said he had little knowledge about sailing and Somali pirates before the trawler was hijacked. "The labor service company in my hometown just told us that being a fisherman would make us a big fortune, and we didn't receive any training," he said.

Ocean-shipping experts said shipping companies or private boat owners have to take more measures against pirate attacks, like providing better training for sailors and getting protection from the Chinese navy on pirates-infested waters.

Compared with the monthly salary of $250, emergency training seems more valuable and important, Zhang said.

"International navigation is very complicated, and a little negligence will put ships in danger, though most sailors are well experienced," said Shao Zheping, head of the Navigation College of Jimei University in Xiamen. Shao worked with the 6th Chinese naval escort flotilla in 2010 and 2011.

People easily get tired on a ship where they cannot enjoy high-quality food and good sleep. So sailors can't focus their attention on the surrounding waters for a long time. But they still have to strictly follow the emergency plan set by the Maritime Safety Administration. Sailors have to send warnings on the first sight of suspected pirates, then search for help from the navy. The last resort may be to get into the safety cabin.

Some private boat owners or shipping companies did not obey the rules and got hijacked. In 2010, Shao picked up a Chinese ship hijacked by pirates off Somali shore after prolonged negotiations. The ship's lookout saw a suspicious boat coming toward the ship in the Gulf of Aden. But he just saw one man on the boat, while other pirates covered themselves with cloth. The lookout shot a warning to the crew and the crew came up to the deck. They were not preparing for "battle", but making fun of the lookout. Soon, other pirates showed their guns and captured three sailors who did not manage to get into the safety cabin.

Somali pirates are active around the Gulf of Aden, but ships can apply to be escorted by the Chinese navy. "That is the best choice to ensure safety," Shao said, adding that the navy will keep a close eye on all ships and even send armed soldiers onboard in extreme cases.

"The most important thing is that the escort navy must get information about ships being threatened by pirates, and so the awareness to be on high alert has to be raised for sailors when the ships plow the waves," Shao said.

Ships have to call the navy for help when they are under attack. When they get word of a threat, frigates will rush to the ship to drive away pirates. Sometimes, a helicopter lifts off from a nearby frigate and fires warning shots at the pirates, who turn and flee at the sight of the oncoming warship.

According to the International Maritime Organization, 69 pirate attacks occurred around the Gulf of Aden from January to June, but 163 ships were attacked in the same period last year. The number of hijacked ships dropped to 13 in the first six months, while it was 21 from January to June in 2011.

For Shao, the Gulf of Aden waters are becoming safer than before due to the presence of the Chinese navy. More than 30,000 ships go through the gulf every year, he said, but only about 50 ships are hijacked.

"As long as sailors fully do their job and trust the escort navy, ships can still get through safely," Shao said.

Zhang Leilong, Liu Hua and Qi Xin contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn and anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn