Cargo Ship Hijacking: Navy saved Bangladeshi ship from Somalian pirates, 23 people remained in captivity for 2 days

The Indian Navy responded to the SOS of the Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship which was captured by pirates off the Somalia coast earlier this week and its 23 crew members were taken hostage, the Navy said in a statement . The Bangladeshi-flagged ship, MV Abdullah, was sailing from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates with a cargo of about 55,000 tonnes of coal when it was attacked by Somalian pirates on the evening of March 12 (Tuesday).

Upon receiving the information, the Indian Navy immediately deployed Long Range Maritime Patrol (LRMP) aircraft to rescue the ship. The Indian Navy said that after locating MV Abdullah, the LRMP attempted to establish communication to ascertain the status of the ship’s crew members. However, no response was received from the ship. The deployed warship of the Indian Navy, which had already been diverted, intercepted the hijacked merchant ship. According to officials, the warship successfully intercepted the Bangladeshi vessel on the morning of 14 March.

The safety of the hijacked crew members (all Bangladeshi nationals) was subsequently ensured, and the warship remained close to MV Abdullah until it reached Somalia’s territorial waters. Mehrul Karim, chief executive of Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills, which owns MV Abdullah, said a group of 15-20 Somali pirates hijacked the ship. Al Jazeera quoted maritime security firm Embre as saying the incident occurred in the Indian Ocean about 600 nautical miles (1,111 km) east of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. Incidents of kidnapping off the coast of Somalia since December have raised concerns about a resurgence of piracy in the Indian Ocean, along with a distinct increase in attacks on shipping launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.