PUNE: A special trauma management care unit (TMU) for seafarers and their families, affected by Somali piracy, will be established by city-based organisations – the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI, Pune Chapter), the Institute of Marine Engineers and the Indian Maritime Foundation. The TMU will initially be a mobile unit in Pune city. Later, it would be extended to New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.
Each unit will have a psychologist, psychiatrist and counsellors to assist hostage seafarers and their families handle mental and emotional trauma. Although there are no fresh cases of piracy affecting seafarers in Pune currently, this will be a mobile trauma unit and the team will go wherever required. Speaking on this initiative, Capt Sudhir Subhedar, chairman, CMMI, Pune chapter, said a proper process has been established to counsel seafarers during crisis situations.
Counselling will be done by a team of psychologists and counsellors with the help of volunteers from the maritime fraternity. This will include counselling provided during the captivity of the seafarers, when the team will meet the family.
Counselling will also be given on the release of the seafarers, teaching the family about how to handle their relative being released from captivity.
After the release, the team will handle the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of both the crew member and his family on agreed long-term basis (normally twice the period of captivity / hostage duration).
This article was posted by Neptune Maritime Security via timesofindia.indiatimes.com. MaritimeSecurity.Asia in cooperation with www.neptunemaritimesecurity.com
