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The 2nd of July. The cargo vessel Polonia was heading towards Nigerian coast.
In the open sea the ship was approached by two fast boats with gunned pirates.
Without warning they opened fire.
Unprepared for the attack the sailors got trapped in seconds.
We were ordered to go down on the deck.
They hit us in the heads, and in the backs, with their weapons. That is with the AK-47 buttstock.
The pirates were interested not in the ship, but in the hostages to get the ransom for.
Understanding that they are in the mortal danger the crew didn't resist.
Only one sailor dared to fight the pirates, Oleksandr Chumakov from Ukraine.
I can't explain how it feels when a bullet hits you...
All I can say is it's not like in the movies.
All the members of the crew were taken as hostages.
Pirates considered Oleksandr to be dead and thus left him behind in the open sea.
Despite the gunshots, a brain concussion and constant bleeding in a few hours Aleksandr got back to consciousness.
He understood his chances of survival were dim.
I called my wife, described the situation shortly, said goodbye, and that I was sorry for anything that went wrong.
Once he had heard the voice of a loved one he understood he had no right to give up.
Because at home his wife and son were waiting for him.
I had no choice so I had to work the ship on my own.
He had to work alone on the huge ship that is usually being worked by nine men.
I was learning as I went on, had to read the manuals on the ship. Read through, studied the schemes.
Some valves could be opened automatically while others only manually. It took a lot of time and effort.
Still bleeding, 48 hours without sleep, utterly exhausted Oleksandr was cruising between the captain's bridge and engine space.
I mixed myself a lot of honey with mineral water and distributed it in the bottles all the way from the bridge to the engine space.
In 48 hours almost losing consciousness Oleksandr got to the Nigerian coast
When he was in the hostpital people around were shaking his hand, saying what a job he did and called him Alex Lion.
Because only a few men could do such a thing even to save their own life.
When I grow up I will tell my children of the deed my father had done and I think they will be proud of him very much as well.