Kochi: On August 12, Benny P J was sitting inside his autorickshaw at the stand in Njarackal at Vypin in Ernakulam, waiting for the afternoon rush, when his phone rang at around 1.20 pm.

The caller was an official from Mumbai, speaking rapidly in English. Benny, a daily-wage autorickshaw driver who understands little of the language, struggled to follow what he was being told. Amid the unfamiliar words, only two phrases registered clearly: “Shinton Benny” and “missing.”

Helpless, Benny pleaded with the caller, repeatedly saying that he could not understand. The call soon ended. Benny was overwhelmed by a fear he could barely comprehend - his son is missing. Then his phone rang again and this time the caller, a Tamilian from the Chennai office of his son’s company, confirmed what he feared.

His 24-year-old son, Shinton Benny, a Deck Officer Trainee aboard the Japanese-flagged vehicle carrier M V Victorious Ace, disappeared in waters between Singapore and Indonesia on August 11 and a search was underway.

He sat inside his autorickshaw with his head buried in his hands and did not know what to do or whom to call. A few minutes later, his wife, Sheeja, called from home as usual, asking him to come home for lunch. Benny could not bring himself to tell her over the phone. He somehow drove back to their home in Palissery. When he finally broke the news, their world collapsed, and the family’s life changed in an instant.

Sixteen days later, the family is still living inside that moment. Shinton’s whereabouts remain unknown. There has been no confirmation of whether he is alive or dead, and no body has been recovered. And for his parents, the hardest part is not knowing.

A family suspended between hope and fear
Inside Palissery, Shinton's house in Njarackal, normal life has almost stopped. Sheeja spends much of her time sitting quietly with a rosary and Bible. She survives on little more than an occasional slice of bread.

“I only pray she doesn’t suffer a complete mental breakdown,” Benny says, his voice breaking. “Every day, she looks at me and says, ‘He will come back, he will come back.’ How do I tell her that I don’t know what to believe anymore?”

The disappearance has also devastated Shinton’s elder brother Aaron (29), a tourist bus driver who shared a close bond with him. Aaron has not stepped outside the house in nearly three weeks. “During the initial days, he refused food and had to be fed by his mother. When relatives and well-wishers arrive, Aaron retreats to his bedroom, unable to face the questions for which even we have no answers,” Benny said.

Benny too has struggled to return to work. He took his autorickshaw to the stand a couple of times simply to get out of the house but could not stay. “Everyone who gets in knows us and shares our grief. But when they ask for news, we don’t have an answer. We are just melting away inside,” he told Onmanorama.

A dream that began at sea
Shinton had wanted to become a seafarer since childhood. After Plus Two, he pursued maritime studies at Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering Training (CIFNET) and secured campus placement with MOL Maritime (India) Pvt. Ltd.

The family saw him off at Cochin International Airport on March 19. He boarded the vessel in Japan on March 21 and was expected to sign off in late September after completing training.

Just three months into the voyage, the company offered him a promotion. Shinton deferred it, choosing instead to return home first. August 15 was to be his 24th birthday. Instead, the day passed with his family waiting for news of him.

Shinton had remained in regular contact with his family and video-called them every day. On August 11, he joined a family conference call and told them that the vessel was approaching Singapore and could lose mobile connectivity for a couple of days.

That night, he spoke cheerfully with Aaron. At 9.30 pm IST, a crew member saw Shinton on the deck. It was the last confirmed sighting of him. At 6.30 the next morning, Shinton failed to report for the mandatory daily toolbox meeting. A search was immediately launched. His cabin, accommodation areas, open decks, car decks and engine rooms were checked, but there was no sign of him.

By 9.25 am, the vessel confirmed that he was missing, issued an international Distress Alert and reversed course along its track at full speed. His personal belongings were still in his cabin. Both mobile phones, his laptop and travel documents were left behind. According to the inquiries, there were no workplace disputes, personal grievances or indications of depression.

Questions without answers
Following the distress alert, emergency measures were activated, according to official communications provided to Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden by the Central Maritime Authority and the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Banda Aceh Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Indonesia and regional marine radio stations were alerted for coastal and maritime searches. The Directorate General of Maritime Administration coordinated inquiries with the Indian Embassies in Japan and Indonesia, along with maritime welfare bodies and the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Local search vessels and naval units in Southeast Asian waters also assisted the M V Victorious Ace in tracking its transit path. But 18 days on, the family still has no definitive answer.

The shipping company recently informed them that Shinton’s baggage had been transferred to its Chennai office and will be redirected to Kochi.

MP Hibi Eden has strongly criticised the Union Government’s response, calling it indifferent. “It is deplorable that after all these days, the Government of India has been unable to trace the missing youth. By carrying out ineffective measures, the Central Government is leaving the safety of Indian seafarers on international vessels as a major unanswered question,” he said.

Eden, along with Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi, has pressed diplomatic and maritime agencies to maintain accountability.

However, for Benny, official communications and procedural updates cannot fill the silence at home.

“We pray he returns alive. But whether the truth is bitter or hopeful, we deserve an answer. You cannot simply lose a 24-year-old boy in the middle of the ocean and expect his parents to move on,” he said.