Nagar Reporter: The Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, with 23 sailors, is still hostage off the coast of Somalia. The owner of the ship is making preparations so that the sailors can be brought back quickly if the ship is freed.
The owner is instructed to provide the captain of the ship with a list of where the seafarers will sign off after release. The media confirmed this information on Tuesday (April 9).
Related sources said that 18 of the 23 sailors on the ship decided to sign off from the UAE port after the instructions of the owner. The remaining five said they would sign off when the ship reaches Chittagong port.
On March 12, Somali pirates hijacked the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah with 23 sailors from the Indian Ocean. After nine days of taking the ship off the coast of Somalia, the pirates contacted Kabir Group, the owner of the ship, for ransom. The owners said that after negotiations at various stages, progress has been made in the settlement with the bandits. However, the owner has not yet accepted the final agreement.
When asked, Mizanul Islam, Media Advisor of Kabir Group, the owner of the ship, told the media, “Our discussions are progressing. I hope to be able to free the sailors from their hostages in a short period of time.
The vessel was carrying coal from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates when it was hijacked by pirates. If the vessel is released, it will first be taken to a port in the United Arab Emirates. The ship is supposed to unload coal there and bring it to Chittagong Port. For this reason, the owners are preparing a list of those who will sign off from the United Arab Emirates. As many sailors disembark from UAE ports, an equal number of sailors will be sent there from Bangladesh. The new sailors will join the MV Abdullah ship. After that, the ship will be brought back to Chittagong port from the UAE port.
Observing the recent events surrounding the hostage ship, many say that usually the owner starts such a process when the bargain with the pirates is finalized. It takes a week or two to release the sailors after the bargain. At this time, the process of paying the ransom and bringing the ship back has to be carried out.
Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association President Captain Anam Chowdhury said the owner can start such a process as part of the advance planning of what to do when the ship is freed. Such planning means that once the ship is freed, everything can be implemented quickly according to plan.
