Cameroon: AoS supports distressed crew after second officer goes missing

Fr Nlend with crew

The Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has provided comfort to the traumatised crew of Thorco Attraction, after one of their crew members went missing at sea in Cameroon. AoS Douala port chaplain Fr Jean Benoit Patrick Nlend, who was on board the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship, said the crew were in growing dismay after the disappearance of second officer Oleg Svylin.

The 39 year-old Ukrainian officer was last seen on the deck of the vessel on the night of 10 November 2013.

Despite conducting a thorough search on board, the crew were unable to find him. The Cameroonian authorities were alerted but their efforts to locate Syvlin have so far remained fruitless.

“It is too early to conclude whether it was suicide or an accident. The crew still remember the tragic murder of three of their crew members by pirates in Somalia waters two years ago. They do not want to consider the likelihood of death and hope to see their fellow crewmember again,“ said Fr Nlend.

A Mass was celebrated on board the ship at the request of the mostly Filipino crew. Fr Nlend also extended the compassion and sympathy of Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Archbishop of Douala, to the crew on board.

For more information see: www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk