The Bangladeshi-flagged vessel MV Abdullah, which was released by Somali pirates on April 14, has reached Kutubdia anchorage in Cox’s Bazar on Monday evening.
Quoting Mohammad Abdur Rashid, the captain of the ship, Meherul Karim, chief executive officer of KSRM Group which owns the ship, said the ship anchored at Kutubdia anchorage safely at 6pm.
The ship entered the Bangladesh territorial waters on Monday morning.
He said all the 23 Bangladeshi sailors and crew members will be transported to Chittagong Port in a lighter ship between 3pm and 4pm on Tuesday (14 May), he said, adding that they will then head to their homes.
“However, we planned to bring them through the lighter jetty at Sadarghat. As of this evening, no final decision has been made regarding this matter,” he added.
On 12 March, MV Abdullah, carrying 55,000 tonnes of coal from Mozambique to Dubai, was captured by Somali pirates, along with 23 sailors.
MV Abdullah was freed on April 14, after paying a ransom to the pirates.
This is the second time that a Bangladeshi ship has been hijacked by pirates. Earlier in 2010, the same company’s MV Jahan Mani ship 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 with the ship after 100 days.
