Durban divers' terror in Nigeria
By Myrtle Ryan
As gunfire re-sounded, bullets flew, doors were kicked open and screams rang out, two Durban men, working on an oil pipeline in Nigeria, cowered on the floor of their cabins - and narrowly escaped being taken hostage.
Back safely in Durban this week, Rob Hardstone, 37, and Peter Taute, 47, spoke to the Sunday Tribune about 45 terrifying minutes last Saturday morning. Rebel raiders - members of the Ijaw tribe demanding a greater share of the region's oil wealth - attacked a barge on which they were working and seized nine foreign hostages.
Hardstone and Taute were among a group of South African divers employed by a French company which had been sub-contracted to an American pipeline-laying company operating in the Delta.
Hardstone, Taute and four men from George in the Cape were based on the WB318 barge, operating in the Forcados oil fields, Warri State, in the Niger Delta. Hardstone, diving supervisor for the project, said he and Hans Kuntz from George had shared a cabin.
Hardstone and Taute were among a group of South African divers employed by a French company
"About 7am I woke up to gun shots and bullets started hitting the cabin," said Hardstone. "We dived to the floor and pulled mattresses over us."
The cabin was soon littered with broken glass, and more than 100 rounds penetrated the cabin at various angles from about 60cm above floor level to the ceiling.
"We could also feel bullets striking the floor beneath us. Fortunately, it was metal plate, so they did not penetrate," said Hardstone.
He and Kuntz listened to shots being fired and doors being bashed down, after which there was often a scream and more shots.
"We thought they were moving from cabin to cabin killing people," he said. Finally, the attackers reached their cabin, and the two men expected the worst. "Luckily, our door opened outwards and they kept trying to force it inwards."
'They were supposed to guarantee our safety'
The rebels then began to attack the door with an axe, smashing the handle. "We shouted 'We're coming out, don't shoot'," said Hardstone.
As they walked to the door, it swung open. Amazingly, they saw the rebels running away down the barge.
"They had their backs turned, they didn't see us, or we might have been among the hostages. We were only 5m from them," he said. Hardstone believes the rebels were operating to a time schedule, which was why they suddenly turned tail.
Taute, who was in a cabin in a different part of the barge, said he thought there had been about 40 rebels. Twelve heavily armed militia had been on board to protect the crew and oil workers (120 or more) and the exchange of fire, he said, had been between them and the militia.
He said the four men in their cabin had lain flat on the floor, listening to sporadic gunfire, hoping they were not going to be hit. They all feared the worst.
When it grew quiet, they looked out and saw the hostages - three Americans, one Briton (the head of security), two Thais, two Egyptians and a Filipino - being marched off, hands above their heads.
"We were lucky. The closest bullet to our cabin penetrated a fire extinguisher. But Rob's cabin took a lot of fire, because the militia were above it and that's where most of the battle took place."
Both men wondered if they would see their families again. "I wondered if I should try to grab my cellphone to call my wife (to say goodbye)," said Hardstone, but decided, as he would have to get up to reach it, it was safer not to try.
As soon as the coast was clear, he phoned home. "We didn't know if they were going to come back, or what would happen if they did."
The men said the insurgents had set the on-shore installation on fire.
After they left, two tugboats transferred the occupants of the barge ashore. But it was still a long way to safety. They flew by military helicopter to the town of Warri. Damage to its airstrip meant going by road to Benin then flying to Lagos.
Hardstone is angry at the way the pipe-laying company failed to alert them to the danger. "We heard the rebels warned them to get the expats out by Friday night," he said. Despite everything, he said, the company had glossed over the danger.
"They were supposed to guarantee our safety," said Hardstone