Muabia Laboni, Dhaka: On March 12, the Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah, carrying coal from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates, was hijacked near the coast of Somalia. At that time, the vessel had 23 Bangladeshi sailors onboard.
Before the pirates took control of the ship, Captain of MV Abdullah had requested assistance.
The Indian Navy, on Friday (March 15), stated in a statement that they had initially sent a reconnaissance aircraft to the vessel upon receiving the distress call.
However, on that day (March 12), communication could not be established with the sailors. No response was received from MV Abdullah.
Subsequently, on March 14, their warship intercepted the hijacked ship. At that time, the situation and position of the sailors were monitored by the Indian warship. However, the pirates could not take any action against the Indian warship.
Consequently, the hijacked ship was taken under the control of the Indian Navy. Until reaching the waters of Somalia, the Bangladeshi ship was kept close to the Indian warship.
On Tuesday, Bangladeshi time, the ship was handed over to SR Shipping, a subsidiary of KSRM Group, a business conglomerate.
The 23 sailors were confined to a cabin. The ship’s internet connection was also shut down. The mobile phones and dollars in possession of the sailors were seized.