We are worried about the fate of Bangladeshi sailors of the hijacked ship named MV Abdullah kept hostage as the Somali pirates are threatening to kill them if ransom is not paid immediately. In a message sent to his wife, the vessel’s chief officer Atiq Ullah Khan asked her to pass on this message to everyone because the hijackers took away their mobiles.
He (Atiq Ullah) said the final word is that, if they are not paid the money, they (pirates) will start killing them one by one. The quicker the money can be sent, the quicker they can be released.
According to media reports, in an audio message sent by chief engineer Saiduzzaman to the ship’s owners, he said, “Sir, they (pirates) are seizing our mobiles. The ship sailed from Mozambique for Dubai last Sunday and fell prey to Somali pirates.
We strongly condemn the hijacking of a Bangladeshi-flagged ship carrying coal and manned by 23 crew members in the Indian Ocean near Somalia. MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group.
Somali pirates are
threatening to kill them
if ransom is not paid
immediately
All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates. In 2011, one of the ships, ‘MV Zahan Moni’, was hijacked and was later released by Somali pirates after getting ransom. The family members of the hijacked sailors do not know the condition of their near and dear ones. They do not know how they are and where they are.
Relatives of the sailors gathered at the ship owners’ offices in Chattogram's Agrabad on Wednesday morning. The victims said their situation was very bad.
The authorities of KSRM Group must communicate with the pirates as they are threatening to kill the sailors. One of their (pirates) strategies is to create a safe zone after capturing a ship. Then they make their demands from there.
Therefore, authorities of KSRM Group’s first priority should be to rescue the sailors and then recover the ship intact. We urge all who are involved in the negotiations to rescue the Bangladeshi sailors in good health.
We all want their safe return and we remain hopeful that the crew members are unharmed. Indeed, the situation is difficult, our foreign and shipping ministries must communicate with the Somali government to bring back the Bangladeshi sailors as early as possible.