Photo : Collected
In an alarming development, another group of Somali pirates have seized control of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, wielding heavy weaponry, as communicated by a distressed sailors to their relatives via voice messages. This harrowing situation unfolded at 1 pm.
Remarkably, amidst the chaos, the pirates have allowed the sailors opportunities to communicate with their loved ones. Even the sailors have managed to gather intelligence on the pirates' intentions, continuously relaying updates to their relatives.
Regrettably, despite three days passing, government efforts to establish contact with the pirate representatives for the rescue of the 23 crew members have been futile. Consequently, the lives of the sailors are now in even greater jeopardy, as the pirates have issued a demand of $5 million in ransom, threatening to harm the crew if their demands are not met.
The sailors informed their relatives that the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah is currently anchored 20 miles away from Garacad coast of Somalia. After anchoring, a group of new pirates with 19-member team took control of the ship. On the other hand, the group of more than 50 people leading the hijacking left the ship.
The hostage sailor said the first group of pirates was carrying a lot of light weapons. Now those who have taken responsibility have heavy weapons in their hands. But they did not misbehave with the sailors. Rather, everyone was allowed to move from one room to another, had sehri at night, expected to give iftar too.
A sailor said that the ship that followed MV Abdullah is still observing from 20 nautical miles away. The pirates say this could cause problems for the hostage sailors. The sailors of the Bangladeshi ship hope that at this stage the bandits may contact the ship's owner. So, this sailor requested the country's media not to do any over-enthusiastic news.
Meanwhile, the rescue ship was following the Bangladeshi ship since Wednesday afternoon. It is assumed that it will be from the United Arab Emirates or some other Arab country.
On Thursday night, the ship carried out an operation to rescue the sailors of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah. Meanwhile, there was an exchange of fire between the two sides. However, the rescue ship retreated when the bandits threatened to kill the hostages.
Earlier on Tuesday Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah was captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean at around 1 pm Bangladesh time. At that time, the ship was located 450 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia. Some 23 Bangladeshi sailors and crew are held hostage by the bandits.
The 23 Bangladeshi sailors on the hijacked MV Abdullah are safe and the first priority is to bring them back with the ship, Secretary of the Maritime Affairs Unit of the foreign ministry Rear Admiral (retd) Khurshed Alam said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the foreign ministry's office in the capital's Segunbagicha, he also said no ransom had yet been demanded. Khurshed Alam also said the ship did not take a high-risk route. The pirates took over the ship and left for Somalia, anchoring near the country on Thursday, he said. He claimed "The pirates haven't contacted us yet."
The secretary also said they had experience in this regard. "A ship named Jahan Moni faced such an incident in 2010. After 100 days, we were able to bring back the ship with all the sailors."
He also added that when the Malaysian ship Al-Bedo fell into the hands of pirates, there were seven Bangladeshis, two Iranians, three Indians, two Pakistanis and five Sri Lankan sailors abroad, but the Malaysian owner did not take any responsibility.
"We worked throughout and after about three years and four months, we brought the Bangladeshi sailors back unharmed after negotiations with the Kenyan army.
Messenger/Sajib
