Bangladeshi sailors celebrate Eid prayers on a ship stranded in the Persian Gulf
Amidst the ongoing war in the Middle East, Bangladeshi sailors performed their Eid prayers on the stranded ship. They spent the day talking with their family members amidst warnings of missile and drone attacks.
Today, Friday, at 10:30 AM local time (12:30 PM Bangladesh time), 31 sailors performed Eid prayers on the navigation bridge of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) ship "Banglar Joyjatra."
Amid the US-Israel conflict surrounding Iran, the ship has been stuck in the Persian Gulf for 10 days. After unloading goods at Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates, they have not been able to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has effectively closed off ship movement in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil is transported.
Eid celebration amidst war
Captain M Shafiqul Islam Khan of "Banglar Joyjatra" told Prothom Alo, "On Eid day, we usually celebrate on the ship. But the situation is different this time, yet we are trying to spend the day joyfully together."
Shafiqul Islam noted that there was light rain in the morning, and the wind was slightly stronger. Although there were missile-drones warnings, no sounds of explosions were heard.
After their Eid prayers in the morning, the sailors took photos together. The day is spent listening to music, watching movies, and engaging in conversations.
For breakfast, the sailors had semai, noodles, dates, eggs, and juice. Lunch had special arrangements with polao, camel meat, beef, and smoked fish.
Contact with Family
Chief Engineer of the ship, Rashedul Hasan, said, "On Eid day, everyone spoke with their families. We are trying to ease some of the pressure from the war situation."
Return still uncertain
On February 27th, the ship reached the Jebel Ali port with steel coils from Qatar. The conflict began the very next day.
Despite the war, the ship completed unloading on 11 March and attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz. However, due to the war situation, it was not possible, and since then, the ship has remained in the Persian Gulf.
There is no clear answer as to when the ship will return home.
Captain Shafiqul Islam Khan said, "We cannot exit the Persian Gulf without ensuring security. We are waiting for the situation to normalize."