Chapter 3: In to the ship

Location: Xavier's Office, Dubai – Three Days Later

AK sat across from Xavier as the old man handed him a sealed folder.

"Everything is ready. Your name is now Naren Narayanan."

AK opened the folder and flipped through the documents. Passport, CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate), STCW certificates, employment history—all perfectly forged.

"Good work." He tucked the folder into his bag. "When do I board?"

Xavier leaned back, exhaling. "The ship docks in Oman in four days. You'll fly there tomorrow. Join as the new Chief Officer."

AK nodded. "And the outgoing Chief Officer?"

"Already informed. He'll sign off the moment you arrive."

But AK wasn't about to walk in blind. "I need the full crew list."

Xavier smirked. "I figured you'd ask." He handed over another document. "Here's the crew roster. Name, rank, nationality."

Checking the Crew

AK took out his laptop and started verifying the crew. Since the crew was mixed-nationality, he checked different databases.

Indian crew → Cross-checked on DG Shipping website.

Filipino crew → Verified on MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority of the Philippines).

European crew → Checked through their respective maritime authorities.

Other nationalities → Referenced IMO (International Maritime Organization) records.

No fake identities. No forged licenses.

But then, something caught his eye.

Captain Abraham Shahbaz

Nationality: Greek.

He had returned to shipping after a six-year gap.

That wasn't unusual—many sailors left to start businesses and later returned to sea. 

So, it wasn't a red flag.

"Captain Abraham took a six-year break," AK muttered. "I'll need to watch him."

He closed his laptop and picked up his bag. Tomorrow, he would board Levi Wisdom.

And this mission was just getting started.