Seychelles mourns passing of Seychellois seaman, Somali pirate hostage Rolly Tambara |05 September 2022
Mr Tambara
Most people know Rolly Tambara as a seaman, but most notably, as one of the Seychellois men who were captured and held captive by Somali pirates during the piracy scourge.
Loved ones and citizens of Seychelles are mourning the death of the fisherman, following his passing on Friday, at his home in Belvedere. He was aged 79 years old.
Mr Tambara is survived by five children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He is described by his family as someone who enjoyed life and living it, with an unending passion for the seas and anything marine-related, as well as an individual with strong family values. Despite being a little short-tempered, he has always been devoted to his family, making sure to provide for them up to his retirement, around one and a half to two years ago.
Aside from spending his time navigating the seas, Mr Tambara could be found in his garden tending to his chillis and other crops.
He is well-known among the population, after he, together with friend Mark Songoire had set out on their fishing vessel ‘Aride’ on November 2, 2011, and were captured by Somali pirates in Seychelles territorial waters around 65 miles west of Mahé.
They were initially taken to the Somali port, Hobyo, before being moved to the central town of Adado, where they were held.
The pair was held captive over a year, and was subsequently freed in November 2012. Having gone through the ordeal alongside American journalist Michael Scott Moore, the pair feature in his book ‘The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast’, recounting their experience as hostages.
During his younger days, he worked on the outer islands, even getting to experience the wonders of the Aldabra atoll, as well as on cruise ship MTS Oceanos, a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when it suffered uncontrolled flooding. Mr Tambara was in fact one of the staff members rescued from the sinking ship off the coast of South Africa, on its final voyage, a seven-day sail along the South African shore from Durban to Cape Town and back again.
A funeral service is being arranged by the family.
Laura Pillay