MV Abdullah owner wants peaceful solution, opposes military intervention for rescue

The owning authority of the hijacked Bangladesh-flagged ship MV Abdullah wants a peaceful solution to rescue the captive crews and the vessel.

They came up with the stance after the preparation of the Somali police and international navies to raid the commercial vessel to rescue its captive crews was reported in the media.

News agency Reuters ran the news on Monday, quoting Somali police in the Puntland region. 

The development comes two days after Indian commandos recaptured another cargo vessel, the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen, which had been seized in December, freeing its 17 crew members and arresting 35 pirates.

The police force from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland of Somalia, a base for many pirate gangs, said it was on high alert and prepared to participate in an operation against the pirates holding the MV Abdullah, read the report.

Puntland police forces are ready after they got reports that international navies are planning an attack, the report added quoting a statement of the police.

When drawing attention to this regard, the owning authority Kabir Group Media Adviser Mizanul Islam said they don’t support any step that might put the lives of the captive crew members in danger.

“We want a peaceful solution through discussion to the crisis,” he said.

“Our stance is very clear that we don’t support any military initiative to rescue the crews and vessel. The government has already sent messages to the navies of different countries saying that no violent operation can be carried out,” said Mizanul.

Captain Anam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers’ Association, said the issue of MV Ruen was different as there were nationals from different countries while the owner also didn’t come forward to negotiate with the pirates.

But, there are all Bangladeshis in MV Abdullah and the owner is working for their safe return, said the seasoned mariner, emphasising on peaceful solution to the crisis.

Mentionable, the owning authority also claimed that neither the pirates nor any of their intermediaries initiated contact for negotiation till Tuesday.

This lack of communication has only intensified the anxieties of the families of the captive crews, plunging them into a state of agonising uncertainty.

According to sector insiders and seasoned mariners, negotiations can only commence once the pirates make contact. The delay in communication from the pirates’ side is seen as a deliberate tactic to exert pressure on both the families and the vessel’s owner to meet their ransom demands.

MV Abdullah was hijacked with 23 Bangladeshi crew members on board in the Indian Ocean on 11 March while en route from Maputo Port in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah Port in Dubai, carrying 55,000 tonnes of thermal coal.

Earlier on 5 December 2010, Somali pirates seized another vessel, the MV Jahan Moni, owned by the same company. After enduring 99 days in captivity, the pirates eventually released the vessel, along with its 25 crew members, including the wife of the chief engineer, Matiul Mawla.