Hijacked Bangladeshi ship, its all 23 crews released

Hijacked Bangladeshi cargo vessel MV Abdullah and its all 23 crew members have got release from Somali pirates after being held hostage for 31 days.

The pirates have released the hijacked Bangladeshi cargo vessel and its all 23 crew members after taking ransom from them.

Mizanul Islam, media adviser of Kabir Group, the owner of the ship, confirmed the media about the latest development on Sunday (April 14) morning.

Mizanul Islam said, “We received the good news early today. Our ship with 23 sailors has been released. All 23 sailors are unharmed and in good health. We will hold a press conference at the KSRM headquarters at noon on Sunday to provide details.”

After the release, the ship was on the way to the UAE port for unloading cargo.

The ship may reach the UAE port within a week.

Earlier, on March 12 at 1:30 pm Bangladesh time, a gang of Somali pirates boarded and took control of the MV Abdullah while it was en route from the port of Maputo, Mozambique, to the United Arab Emirates. The ship was carrying 55,000 tons of coal. All 23 crew members on board are Bangladeshis. The ship is owned by SR Shipping Limited, an affiliate of Chattogram-based Kabir Group. The pirates then took the ship to the coast of Somalia.

Nine days after the ship was hijacked, the pirates contacted the ship’s owner’s group to demand ransom. There were then negotiations at various levels. The ship’s owner had hinted that the sailors would be released this month.

SR Shipping is one of the largest shipping companies in the country. They operate ocean-going merchant ships. The bulk carrier MV Abdullah, with a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 45,653 tons, has an overall length (LOA) of 185.74 metres and a width of 30.4 metres.