Somalian pirates take control of Bangladeshi ship, crews ‘fine’

The Somalian pirates took control of the Bangladeshi Bangladeshi flag carrier – MV Abdullah – in the Indian Ocean waters around 1:30 pm Tuesday.

A young crew of the ship sent a message to a leader of Merchant Marine Officers’ Association when the pirates were taking control of the ship. The message read, “MV Abdullah. Pirates attack on Somalia, please help us. They have gun. We are attacked.”

Upon receiving the message, the worried merchant marine officers immediately contacted the officials of Kabir Group, the owner of the ship. The Kabir Group officials communicated with the crews of the ship. They informed the officials that the crews have been confined at a cabin and the pirates have taken control of the ship.

Asifur Rahman, a crew member of the ship, wrote in a Facebook post around 7:00 pm, “We have been attacked by Somali pirates. We all are fine and safe. Keep us in your prayers.”

She also shared a video that shows the pirates boarding the ship.

The ship’s chief officer Atik Ullah Khan in a Facebook post at 5:00 pm (Bangladesh time) wrote, “We are fine, Alhamdulillah. Don’t worry.”

He tagged his family members and friends in the Facebook post.

Prothom Alo contacted Kabir Group’s media adviser Mizanul Islam to learn about the latest condition of the crew members.

He said at around 9:00 pm, “We have communicated with the crew members. The pirates did not attack the crew. They have taken control of the ship. All the crew members are fine. But we could not contact the pirates. We have been trying to communicate with them through local and international media.”

The Kabir Group officials said the pirates were taking the ship towards the area under their control. They could begin negotiations later. But so far the pirates have not contacted anyone.

Kabir Group has the largest number of ships among the Bangladeshi firms. SR Shipping Limited has been operating the ships on behalf of the Kabir Group.