“The ship managed to send a message to its company around 1:30pm, saying everyone was safe,” Meherul Karim, CEO of SR Shipping, told The Business Standard at around 4:35pm.
A Bangladeshi-flagged ocean-going vessel named MV ABDULLAH, carrying 23 crew members, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean two days ago.
“The ship managed to send a message to its company around 1:30pm, saying everyone was safe,” Meherul Karim, CEO of SR Shipping, told The Business Standard at around 4:35pm.
“We are actively working to rescue all crew members following established protocols,” Karim added.
The ABDULLAH, classified as a bulk carrier, has a length overall (LOA) of 185.74 metres and a width of 30.4 metres.
At around 4:40pm, the ship was located 450 nautical miles away from the coast, Mehrul Karim said.
“Armed pirates have seized control of the vessel and diverted it to the vicinity of Somalia approximately two days ago,” Karim elaborated.
Meanwhile, in a Facebook post at 4:41pm, Atique Ua Khan, a Bangladesh Navy captain from Bangladesh Marine Academy’s 27th batch, said a crew member of Abdullah has reached out to him seeking help after the ship was hijacked.
According to Atique’s Facebook post, around 50 pirates are currently onboard the ship.
Besides, he wrote, “There are 7 ex-BMA cadets on the ship.
“Chief Officer Atikullah Khan (BMA 42nd), Second Officer Mojaherul Islam Chowdhury (BMA 44th), Third Officer Md Tarequl Islam (BMA 50th), Deck Cadet Md Sabbir Hossain (BMA 56th), Chief Engineer ASM Saiduzzaman (BMA), Third Engineer Md Rokan Uddin (BMA 48th), Engine Cadet Ayub Khan (BMA 56th).”
This is not the first time a Bangladeshi ship has fallen victim to attack by Somali pirates from the Indian coast.
Earlier in December 2010, the MV Jahan Moni was attacked after a long pursuit near the Lakshadweep group of islands, some 300km (185 miles) from the Indian coast.
The ship, with 25 Bangladeshi crew on board, was on its way from Singapore to Europe via the Suez Canal, reported BBC at the time.
