A total of 28 sailors of MV Banglar Samriddhi have returned home after being hit by a rocket at the Ukrainian port of Olvia. A Turkish Air flight carrying them landed at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport t noon on Wednesday.
Confirming the matter, the airport's executive director Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul-Ahsan told the media that 28 sailors had landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Meanwhile, the list of 28 sailors returning to the country was released by the Ministry of Shipping on Tuesday. It is said that on March 2, the ship 'MV Banglar Samriddhi' owned by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation was attacked while it was at the Olivia sea port in Ukraine. Necessary steps were taken following the incident to bring back the 28 sailors working on the ship to the country through the efforts of the government.
The 28 sailors on the list are GM Noor E Alam, Md Monsurul Amin Khan, Selim Mia, Ramakrishna Biswas, Md Rukunuzzaman Razib, Jannat Tuli, Faysal Ahmed Setu, Mohammad Omor Faruk, Sayed Asiful Islam, Rabiul Awal, Salman Sorowar Sami, Farjana Islam Mow, Md Sheak Sadi, Md Masudur Rahman, Md Jamal Hossain, Mohammad Hanif, Md Aminur Islam, Md Mohin Uddin, Hossain Mohammad Rakib, Sazzad Ibne Alam, Nazmul Uddin, Md Nazrul Islam, Sarwar Hossain, Md Masum Billa, Mohammed Hossain, Md Atikur Rahman, Md Shafiqur Rahman, Mohammad Saif Uddin.
The ship 'Banglar Samridhi' owned by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) was being chartered under the Danish company Delta Corporation. The ship sailed from Mumbai via Turkey to the Ukrainian port of Olvia on 22 February. The ship was scheduled to leave Olvia for on February 24 for the Italian port of Ravenna.
Meanwhile, when Russia's military operation in Ukraine began on February 24, the ship with 29 crew members was detained at the port of Olvia. Hadisur Rahman, the ship's third engineer, was later killed in a rocket attack on March 2. However, with the help of an international voluntary organization, 28 survivors, including the body of Hadisur, were rescued on March 3 and evacuated.
On questions raised regarding why the ship was sent during such a risky time, the BSC in a statement claimed that the Banglar Samriddhi had gone to Ukraine even before the declaration of the war.
The statement said, "As cargo operations were underway in war risk areas, a total of 21 ships including Banglar Samriddhi, entered the inner anchorage in the form of a convoy. In the incident which started shortly after the ship entered, it was hit by a missile attack. It was highly undesirable and beyond the control of the BSC authorities."
According to the BSC, the main control room of the ship was completely destroyed and the main power supply system was cut off due to the missile strike. The BSC family is deeply saddened by the death of Hadisur Rahman, the third engineer of the ship and extends its condolences to his bereaved family.
