It has been seven days since the Bangladesh flag ship 'MV Abdullah' was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. There has been no word yet on the ship, which is anchored just off the coast of Somalia. Because so far no communication has been made regarding ransom or demand from the bandits. As a result, there is uncertainty about how soon the release of the hostage sailors is possible. However, news has come out that the Somali police and the international navy are preparing for an operation to rescue the Bangladeshi flagged ship with 23 sailors as hostages.
The hostage-taking vessel MV Abdullah belongs to SR Shipping Limited, a subsidiary of Bangladesh's Kabir Group. Almost 14 years ago on December 5, 2010, another ship named MV Jahan Mani owned by the same owner fell into the hands of bandits. The Bangladeshi-flagged ship was ransomed seven days after it was hijacked. And within 40 days the compromise is done. The ship with 25 sailors kidnapped for ransom was released within 99 days. But even after seven days, the bandits are still 'silent'. Therefore, the worries of the family members of the sailors are not diminishing.
Somali pirates took control of the ship on its way from Maputo port in Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates last Tuesday at 1.30 pm Bangladesh time. The ship has 55 thousand tons of coal. All 23 sailors on board are Bangladeshis. Later last Thursday, the pirates took the ship to their coast. However, after that the ship was diverted twice by the bandits. The ship is now about 4 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia's Godabjiran.
Usually the pirates demand ransom after taking the sailors and ships into their controlled area. Five days have passed since the Bangladeshi hostage ship was taken off the coast of pirate-controlled Somalia. But so far no contact has been made by the bandits.
When asked about the latest situation, Mizanul Islam, Media Advisor of Kabir Group, the owner of the hostage ship, told Barta24.com on Monday night, "Our owners are in regular contact with the sailors of the hostage ship. All sailors are healthy. The ship is also in its previous position. But the bandits have not contacted me yet.'
Why still silent bandits:
Talking to ship owners and people related to the ship, it is believed that there could be several reasons why the pirates are still silent. One of them is that the bandits have not yet been able to settle down. Even after taking to their own shores, the ship is being repeatedly removed. It may also be that the bandit group that took the hostages is a smaller group. They may hand over sailors to a larger bandit group. It may also take time to negotiate. Again, two warships of the Indian Navy and the European Union (EU) Maritime Security Force chased the Bangladeshi sailors. At one point, warships from both the European and Indian navies tried to stop Somali pirates while advancing off the coast of Somalia. They also fired on the surrounding water. In the meantime, the Indian Navy rescued the Malta-flagged ship MB Rouen after a 40-hour rescue operation last Saturday. At this time 17 sailors were rescued unharmed. All 35 pirates on board surrendered. Even in such a situation, the bandits may have fear, so they may take more time to observe the situation.
An official of the owner of the ship told Barta24.com without revealing his name, "In the past, the pirates did not get any pressure from their own country." This time the situation is different. The Somali government is also embarrassed by the bandits due to international pressure. They have also now tried to catch the bandits.'
The role of police in Somalia's Puntland region is similar to this official's statement.
In a report on Monday (March 18), the news agency Reuters reported that the Somali police along with the international navy are preparing to conduct an operation to rescue the sailors of the MV Abdullah.
Earlier, on December 12, 2010, seven days after the same owner's ship MV Mani was captured by pirates, the pirates first contacted the ship owner and demanded a ransom of 90 lakh US dollars. However, the final agreement was reached on February 23 of the same year. After receiving the ransom, the pirates were supposed to leave the ship by 6:30 pm on March 13. But the pirates were not leaving the ship. The next day, however, the bandits got off the ship. Then the ship returned with the sailors.
However, the amount of ransom paid by any organization was kept secret for strategic reasons. Now whether the sailors will be freed through compromise, or in the raid - the families of 23 sailors are looking at that.