Thursday March 14, 2024
Hijacked bulker Abdullah being shadowed by EU forces (EUNAVFOR)
MOGADISHU, Somalia — The hijacked Bangladeshi bulker MV Abdullah anchored off Somalia on Thursday, triggering international concern as Somali pirates hold the 23 crew members hostage. The ship was seized approximately 600 nautical miles from Mogadishu earlier in the week and is now under pirate control near the Hobyo port, according to the European Union's Operation ATALANTA.
In the wake of the hijacking, the Bangladeshi government and SR Shipping Lines, the vessel's owner, have initiated a coordinated response aiming for the safe return of the crew. While the pirates have not yet made any formal ransom demands, the urgency of the situation has been heightened by the distressing audio message from the ship's chief officer, Mohammad Atique Ullah Khan, stating, "If the money is not given, they will kill us one by one."
The incident has had a profound emotional impact on the crew's families back in Bangladesh. Relatives have issued heartfelt pleas for their loved ones' safe return, underscoring the human dimension of the maritime security crisis.
The latest hijacking highlights a worrying resurgence of piracy in the region, challenging assumptions about the safety of these waters following the recent removal of the "high-risk area" designation for the Indian Ocean. International security agencies and maritime authorities are urging ships to adopt enhanced security measures and remain vigilant as they navigate the Somali Basin and surrounding areas.
The Bangladeshi government, under the guidance of Rear Admiral (Retd) Khurshid Alam, is leveraging past experiences with piracy to navigate the current crisis, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration in resolving such incidents and securing the safety of the hostages and the maritime industry at large.