Chief officer’s voice message reveals details

Khan Mohammad Atiq Ullah, the chief officer of the kidnapped ship in Somalia, has revealed details regarding the ongoing situation in the ship through a voice message.

The audio message sent by him has already reached the ship's owner SR Shipping and media.

In the audio message, he said, “Assalamualaikum sir, I am chief officer, Atiq Ullah Khan. Today (Tuesday) morning around 10:30am, a high-speed boat started coming towards us. Immediately, I switched on the alarm button. We all went to the bridge. From there I went to the seat later.”

“Meanwhile, Captain Sir and Second Officer were on the bridge. We did the flashing course. Then, I sent SOS (Urgent Message to Save Life) and tried to contact UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Operations). But they didn't respond the call. In the meantime, the pirates arrived…”

"Initially, more hijackers arrived by a large fishing boat. Later, they went to the ship’s engine room along with our second and third officer and shut the engine. Luckily no damage was done yet. There was no damage to the ship. Besides, we also face no damage. However, everyone is panicked."

Earlier on Tuesday, a Bangladeshi-flagged ocean-going vessel named MV ABDULLAH owned by KSRM Group, carrying 23 crew members, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.