The 3,286-dwt C-Retriever (built 1999) was attacked by pirates on 23 October 2013 and two senior officers were kidnapped.
One of them, Captain Wren Thomas, is chasing the two companies for mental and physical damages. He claims they were fully aware of the dangers of Nigerian waters.
Thomas claims he had expressed concerns over the vessel’s security but the companies did not take any action to address the hazardous conditions of a high-risk area.
According to the lawsuit filed in the district court of Texas: “Chevron and ECO failed to take appropriate remedial measures to protect their employees and continued to perpetuate their flawed practices.”
C-Retriever was using VHF radios instead of more secure satellite phones, something that made the vessel vulnerable to pirates, the suit claims.
The lawsuit reads that the attacked vessel had received detailed death threats from a militant group of Nigeria’s Bayelsa only five days before the hit.
Thomas was held for 18 days before being set free by the pirates along with his colleague.
It is still unclear how much money the captain intends to claim from Chevron and ECO.
None of the companies have yet replied to TradeWinds’ requests for a comment.
