The vessel is currently approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia and is anticipated to reach its destination today. The Chief Officer of MV Abdullah, Captain Atique Ullah Khan, conveyed through a WhatsApp audio message that the pirates permitted the crew to observe Sehri, and all 23 crew members are safe and unharmed.
The pirates confiscated the cell phones of all crew members on Tuesday when they seized control of the ship around noon. However, Captain Atique Ullah Khan reassured that no physical harm has been inflicted on any crew member thus far. He mentioned in the audio message that as the crew cooperated, the pirates treated them decently.
MV Abdullah, owned by SR Shipping Lines, a sister company of Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group based in Chattogram, was en route from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE when the hijacking occurred.
The Bangladeshi government, concerned about the fate of the crew, has taken action to communicate with relevant international bodies for the safe rescue of the hijacked ship and its crew. Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud stated that they have reached out to the Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in New Delhi, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), and the Singapore office under the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.
Furthermore, the situation has been reported to ships from the UK, the USA, India, and China operating in the area. This incident revives concerns about piracy in the waters off Somalia, which peaked in 2011 with over 160 recorded attacks. However, piracy incidents have significantly decreased since then, largely due to the presence of American and allied navies in the region.
Photo Source: Ship Spotting
