Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Abdullah, which was recently freed from the captivity of Somali pirates, arrived at Kutubdia in Cox’s Bazar on Monday.
Captain Abdur Rashid said that after a long journey, the ship with 23 sailors and crew members aboard anchored at Kutubdia in Cox’s Bazar on Monday evening.
Mohammad Meherul Karim, chief executive officer of KSRM Group, which owns the ship, is currently anchored at Kutubdia. On Tuesday, a lighter vessel will take the sailors directly to Sadarghat KSRM jetty in the port city Chattogram and welcome them there.
“Senior officials of KSRM will be present to welcome the sailors at the jetty. Some relatives of the sailors will also be present. They will welcome the sailors,” he added.
KSRM Group Media Adviser Mizanul Islam said the reason for anchoring the ship at Kutubdia is that such a large ship cannot dock at the jetty of port city due to a lack of depth of water. The ship contains 56,391 tonnes of limestone. This has increased the ship’s draught (the depth of water that a ship needs to float) to 12.5 metres, which is equal to four storeys. As a result, it will not be possible to bring the ship to the port jetty.
According to Kabir Group, another team of 23 sailors left Chattogram for the Kutubdia anchorage area around 4:00 pm on Monday. They boarded a lighter vessel named MV Jahan Moni-3. This new team will manage the operation of MV Abdullah.
On 12 March, MV Abdullah, carrying 55,000 tonnes of coal from Mozambique to Dubai, was captured by Somali pirates, along with 23 sailors. After payment of a ransom to the pirates, MV Abdullah was freed on 14 April. This is the second time that a Bangladeshi ship has been hijacked by pirates.
Earlier in 2010, the same company’s ship MV Jahan Mani was hijacked by Somali pirates. At that time, there were 26 people on board, including 25 crew and the captain’s wife. They were rescued and brought back to the country after 100 days.
UNB reports: The anchoring of the vessel with all the crew members ended long wait of their families.
A festive mood has been prevailing among the family members of the crew members for their safe return.
The vessel will leave for Chattogram port after unloading goods at Kutubdia, said Mizanul.
“All the crew members are safe and sound as far as I know and the further development will be known later,” he said.
The vessel, which was hijacked for 33 days, departed Al-Hamriya Port in the United Arab Emirates for Bangladesh on April 28 after unloading 55,000 metric tonnes of coal.
MV Abdullah initially anchored at the UAE port on the evening of April 22, following its release from pirates’ captivity.
The ship first arrived at the outer anchorage of the port on April 21, after its ordeal which began on March 12 when it was hijacked by Somali pirates about 600 nautical miles off the Somali coast en route from Mozambique to Dubai.
The pirates took control of the vessel and its crew, holding them until a ransom of Tk 55 crore facilitated their release on the night of April 13.
