MV Abdullah enters Bay of Bengal

Bangladeshi flagged vessel the MV Abdullah with 23 crew members on board, which was released by Somali pirates on 14 April after a reported payment of $5 million ransom, was located in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday after 11 days of journey from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 30 April.

It may anchor at Kutubdia in Cox’s Bazar on Monday afternoon, said Mizanul Islam, media adviser of Kabir Group which owns the vessel.

After offloading some of the cargo there, the vessel will head towards the Chattogram port to discharge the remaining cargo, he added.

However, it has not been decided yet whether the crew members will reach Chattogram by ship or take other routes, he said further.

Mentionable, the MV Abdullah left the Al Hamriyah port at 5:30pm (local time) on Saturday and took a berth at the Mina Saqr port on the following morning.

Earlier, the vessel reached the Al Hamriyah Port on 21 April.

On 12 March, the vessel was hijacked with the 23 Bangladeshi crew members on board by armed Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The bulk carrier was heading to the Al Hamriyah Port from Maputo Port in Mozambique, carrying 55,000 tonnes of thermal coal.

After 32 days of captivity, pirates released the ship with its crews in the early hours of 14 April.

It reached the Al Hamriyah port after crossing some 1,450 nautical miles from a place near the Somali coast.

The MV Abdullah finally started its journey to Bangladesh after loading limestone at Mina Saqr port of the UAE on 30 April.

On 5 December 2010, Somali pirates seized another Bangladeshi vessel, MV Jahan Moni, which belonged to the same company. After enduring 99 days in captivity, the pirates eventually released the vessel, along with its 25 crew members and the wife of the chief engineer, Matiul Mawla.

The crew members finally returned to Chattogram on 21 March 2011, bringing an end to the uncertainty that had plagued their loved ones for months.