World
Ship Hijack Bangladeshi cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates now bound for Somalia
Dubai, March 13: Bangladeshi-flagged cargo ship MV Abdullah, which has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, is now heading for Somalia. The pirates started the work of taking the hijacked ship from the Indian Ocean to Somalia around 5:30 pm Bangladesh time on Tuesday. Since then, the internet connection of the ship's crew members is found to be off.
The pirates even took mobile phones from all the sailors. One of them said on a hidden mobile phone, "Our ship is heading towards Somalia. Everyone pray for us. It will take three days to cover 600 nautical miles. There will be pirate chiefs."
An electrician on the ship said that they were kept in a room. A pirate boat has already been boarded. A group of pirates left on the other boat.
Meanwhile, several voice messages sent by sailors to their families using social media have been accessed by the media.
In a voice message sent at 5:32 pm, one crew member said, "Pray for us. Attacked by Somali pirates. Already we have been kept hostage. They have kept us locked in one place."
On Tuesday afternoon, Somali pirates took the SR Shipping vessel MV Abdullah, owned by the country's top industrial group KSRM, hostage.
There are 23 Bangladeshis including sailors and crew on the ship. Earlier, a source in touch with the sailors on board told Jago News that there were approximately 50 armed pirates on board.
Mehrul Karim, CEO of SR Shipping, said the vessel was 450 nautical miles from the coast by 5 pm. All on board are reported to be safe.
