Bangladeshi Ship and Crew to Be Released from Somali Pirates

It has been 23 days since the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah was hijacked by Somali pirates with 23 crew members onboard.

Despite ongoing discussions between the ship owners and the pirates, a final agreement has not been reached yet. However, significant progress has been made towards negotiating the safe return of the crew.

The pirates initially seized MV Abdullah in the Indian Ocean on March 12th and later relocated it to the Jefal coast of Gadhavjiran district in Somalia. Negotiations between the ship owners and the pirates commenced nine days after the hijacking, initiated through a satellite phone call from the pirates.

Bangladesh’s Department of Shipping has been closely monitoring the situation since the hijacking occurred.

Commodore Mohammad Maksud Alam, the director-general of the department, stated that the gap between the negotiating parties has narrowed, indicating positive progress towards securing the crew’s safe release.

Typically, pirates demand large sums of ransom to initiate negotiations, which the ship owners aim to reduce through ongoing discussions.

However, the specific ransom amount demanded by the pirates for MV Abdullah has not been disclosed by the owners.

In past instances, such as the hijacking of MV Jahan Moni in 2010, reports suggested that owners paid significant ransoms, though the exact amounts remained undisclosed.

Similarly, the current owners of MV Abdullah are engaged in negotiation efforts but have not finalized any agreements yet.

Mizanul Islam, the media advisor of Kabir Group, the owner of MV Abdullah, confirmed ongoing negotiations and expressed optimism about the progress made thus far.

Veteran sailors familiar with such situations anticipate that even after reaching an agreement, it may take time to secure the crew’s release and deliver the ransom in cash to the pirates. The preference for cash payments is due to concerns about banking complications.

Plans are in place for a team of Bangladeshi sailors to be on standby for visa processing once negotiations are finalized.

Additionally, preparations for transporting the vessel to a nearby port are underway, though the timeline for these actions depends largely on the pirates’ cooperation.

Captain Anam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association, estimated that it could take a week or two to transport the vessel to a nearby port following a successful negotiation.

*This report appeared on the online version of Prothom Alo.*