(1 May 2012) 1. Indian crew members of the hijacked Italian ship Enrica Ievoli, walking into Mumbai Airport
2. Released crew members being greeted by friends and family
3. Pan of shipping company officials with the released hostages
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Roopendran Parrakkat, crew member on Enrica Ievoli:
"The feelings were like every time we were counting, maybe something may happen, because we don''''t know when they become crazy because when they ask for some money and they don''''t get it soon, then maybe they can even kill us."
5. Crew members posing with the Consul General of Italy in Mumbai
6. SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) Shantilal Solanki, fitter on Enrica Ievoli:
"Many pirates told us that because they did not have any money, they had to take up this work. Because they needed money. Among them there was one pirate who was sick and wanted money badly to get his treatment done, and he would always say that he was not a pirate."
7. Shantilal Solanki being hugged by the Consul General of Italy in Mumbai
8. SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) Shantilal Solanki, fitter on Enrica Ievoli:
"They only spoke in their language. They would talk in broken language and we could only understand by reading their body language. But they only talked when their leader was not around."
9. Various of crew members on their return
10. Crew member with his family
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Roopendran Parrakkat, crew member on Enrica Ievoli:
"No I am not scared now, because in our company they have started keeping gunmen on board the vessels. So I think now it will be safe for us to go back to sea."
12. Crew members walking our of airport
13. Crew members waving from the car as they leave the airport
STORYLINE:
Seven Indian crew members who were on board the Italian ship Enrica Ievoli, captured by Somali pirates, arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday after being kept hostage since 27 December 2011.
The ship was carrying 15,000 metric tons of caustic soda from Iran to Turkey when it was hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman near the Gulf of Aden.
The pirates held the 18-man crew, including seven Indians, six Italians and five Ukrainians, hostage for four months.
Roopendran Parrakat, 51, was on duty on the morning of December 27 when the pirates approached the ship.
The crew watched as four men in shorts and T-shirts hoisted a ladder and climbed on board.
Two carried AK-47s. They fired shots in the air and announced themselves as pirates from Somalia.
Five more pirates soon climbed on board. The youngest was 14, the oldest in his fifties.
The pirates held the crew in the ship''''s bridge, a vast 4,000 square foot room encased in glass at the top of the ship.
"We don''''t know when they become crazy because when they ask for some money and they don''''t get it soon, then maybe they can even kill us", said Parrakat.
Shantilal Solanki, 52 , worked as a fitter on the ship and was asleep when the alarm went off.
He said the leader of the pirates carried only a pistol and told the crew he didn''''t want to harm them, that there would be no killing if they got money.
"Many pirates told us that because they did not have any money, they had to take up this work. Because they needed money," Solanki said.
The pirates stole Solanki''''s two laptops, one of which he had just bought for his daughter, two mobile phones, his watch, his leather shoes and all his money.
According to Solanki, the crew did not become friends with their captors over the long months of captivity. They barely learned each other''''s names. The pirates slept separately and ate their own meals.
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