Rudderless in Cairo for seven years

Cairo: When Captain Placido Magana took up his last assignment a month before the end of his contract period he dreamt of a peaceful life after in the Philippines.

But seven years on, he is still stuck in an alien land unable to go back home and with no end in sight to his ordeal.

His ship and its cargo are now gone - seized and auctioned for not paying the transit fees for the Suez Canal Authority. The ship's crew too has gone different ways.

But Capt Magana, 52, is confined to Egypt without pay, and has not even once been able to visit his family in the Philippines though he has done no wrong.

Despite his desire to rush back home, he accepted his agent's suggestion to captain a ship when only one month remained for his contract to end.

He is now cursing himself for the fateful decision as he lives like a prisoner

"I still can't believe I am stuck in this open-air jail, my life in ruins, for no fault of mine," Capt Magana told Gulf News in Cairo, where he has spent most of the past seven years.

He chokes when he mentions his suffering family - wife, Lorenza, a homemaker, daughter Jenny, 21, and son Jake, 20.

He has long since exhausted all the savings of his 15-year career. The family sold their house in Manila and Lorenza all her valuables.

The trouble started when the Suez Canal Authority seized his ship, chemical tanker Delos, flying a Nassau flag and owned by a Liberian company, at Port Said on February 6, 2000 for recovering dues of transit fees.

A court in Port Said, which heard the claims of about 30 parties, appointed Capt Magana the official receiver of the ship without remuneration.

Capt Magana says this was done ignoring his protest. His passport was impounded and he was prohibited from leaving the country.

Capt Magana has since lived with his friends mostly in Cairo. He could not work there as he did not have a work permit. He could not sign on with any other ship as he was not allowed to leave the country.

The Egyptian court ordered the ship to be sold in public auction to recover the dues.

When the auction was concluded for 7.5 million Egyptian pounds, or $1.32 million (Dh4.88 million) at current rates, in May 2003, Capt Magana was hopeful that at last he would be allowed to go home.

But appeals delayed the final settlement order among the 30 claimants. The court's final order has upheld the preponderance of the Suez Canal Authority's claim over the others.

Mohammad Yejia, Capt Magana's lawyer told Gulf News that after settling the authority's claim and court fees, the crew would be left with virtually nothing.

He has rejected the order and plans to go in for appeal before the Court of Cassation.

Official comment was not immediately available.

The unfortunate turn of events has delayed the Captain's intended departure for Manila further. And he will miss Jenny's birthday on March 11 for the eighth time in a row.

After settling Suez Canal Authority's claim and court fees, the crew would be left with virtually nothing, Mohammad Yejia, Capt Magana's lawyer told Gulf News.

The lawyer plans to go in for appeal before the Court of Cassation. Official comment was not immediately available.