Pirate attack on MV Abdullah renews safety calls

The hijacking of the Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier MV Abdullah from the Indian Ocean with 23 crew members on board has renewed a call for immediate attention to follow international rules and regulations for the safety of crews, vessels and cargo worth billions of dollars.

Questions have also been raised regarding the lack of precautions needed to be taken for the safety of the vessel and crew members of MV Abdullah, which was hijacked by Somali pirates from some 600 nautical miles off the Somali coast en route to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE from Maputo port in Mozambique in the afternoon of 11 March.

Experienced mariners who worked in different local and foreign vessels alleged that there was a lack of safety precautions in MV Abdullah during its voyage through the Indian Ocean.

Though the vessel was not plying through the high-risk areas near the coast of Somalia, it could have avoided the pirate attack if some measures like keeping gunmen and setting razor fences around the ship could be ensured, they observed.

They, however, emphasized ensuring the security of merchant vessels navigating through pirate-prone zones in the Indian Ocean for uninterrupted and stable maritime trade and global commerce.

Currently, while sailing through the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea areas of the Indian Ocean, ship owners take various security measures to avoid pirate attacks.

Some rules are followed for movement through the high-risk areas in the international sea routes under the Best Management Practice (BMP) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The 70-100 nautical miles of the Somali coasts are considered as such highly risky areas.

The rules include keeping armed security personnel, setting razor fences around the vessel, using tactics in piloting the vessel and taking the opinion of sailors, said sources concerned.

Captain Anam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers’ Association, told the media that MV Abdullah was navigating far from the high-risk areas where piracy incidents are typically reported.

Generally, IMO defines the “high-risk areas” in international sea routes and sets some guidelines considering risks. There are also instructions on how to pass the Somali coast, said the mariner.

In this case, armed security guards should be kept so that the pirates cannot easily take control from the outside, security fences should be provided throughout the ship and the ship should be managed strategically to linger the time to get support from outside, Anam stated.

“Being fully loaded, the height of the ship’s deck above the water was also reduced. As there was no safety fence, pirates boarded on it very easily without any obstacle,” he mentioned.

Md Mizanul Islam, media adviser of Kabir Group which owns the vessel, said, “In recent years, the piracy in the area has been reduced significantly. That is why, there was no additional security measure. Bringing back the vessel and the crewmembers unhurt is our priority now.

However, the issue of security measures came to the forefront when another vessel belonging to the same company, MV Jahan Moni, was hijacked along with its 25 crew members in the Gulf of Aden back in 2010.

Captain Sabbir Mahmood, the principal officer of the Mercantile Marine Office, which works to ensure sustainable blue economy growth through the shipping sector, put up different rules and implementation while talking to the Daily Sun on Sunday.

Sabbir said there are rules, regulations and practices to be ensured for movement through the high-risk areas of international sea routes for the safety of vessels and crews.

Some 98 vessels owned by different large business groups in Bangladesh are transporting cargo on different international routes for local and international charterers.

All of them have been advised to follow the security protocols to avert incidents like pirate attacks, said the principal officer.  

Regarding MV Abdullah, he said, “The high-risk area is defined after time-to-time analysis. In 2023, the area of the high-risk zone was reduced to within 100 nautical miles off the Somali Coast.”

The analysis will now be conducted anew by international organisations including the Joint Work Committee and International Chamber of Shipping, which declares the high-risk areas, he said.  

“The security measures are ensured from the security perspectives like International Ship and Port Security Facility Code of IMO and requirements for the insurance coverage,” mentioned the principal officer.

“The rules under the ISPS code are mandatory and the vessels follow them. The rules include conducting regular security drills, keeping a security alert system and having a citadel,” he said.

Although pirates cannot be prevented with the precautions, the rules help spend time so that support can be extended from outside, Sabbir observed.

“Piracy is always a targeted crime. It is difficult to avoid it. Cargo owners, charterers and ship owners should work together to ensure safety,” he suggested.