CHATTOGRAM Mar 23: The Atlanta, the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) warship has surrounded the hijacked Bangladeshi-flagged vessel MV Abdullah near the coast of Somalia on Saturday, according to international media.
The warship is regularly monitoring the situation of the hijacked ship, sources said.
The warship under its anti-piracy mission Operation Atalanta had taken the step to rescue the hijacked Bangladeshi-flagged vessel MV Abdullah.
The EUNAVFOR, which plays a crucial role in protecting vulnerable vessels off the coast of East Africa, said that it has been monitoring the Bangladeshi-flagged ship since it was hijacked on March 12.
On March 18, Reuters reported that the Puntland Police of Somalia and the International Navy were preparing to conduct an operation to free the Bangladeshi-flagged ship and its hostages.
However, Kabir Group spokesman Mizanul Islam said the owners of the ship do not want any military intervention, risking the lives of their sailors.
In the meantime, the Puntland Police of Somalia arrested two persons during the supply of drugs for the pirates on the ship.
On the other hand, the Somali pirates, who hijacked MV Abdullah on March 12, have been reported to be armed with heavy artilleries and have reportedly fired warning shots to assert their control and stronghold of the ship as European Union (EU) naval forces approached closer.
"Some 30 to 35 armed pirates are stationed on the ship around the clock. They are trying to exert pressure on the 23 captive sailors since the EU warship has been monitoring MV Abdullah from closer proximity," a family member of captive told the media on Saturday.
Concerns over the well-being of the crew are mounting, he continued.
The relatives and family members of those sailors have become tense with the existing situation on the hijacked ship. They are demanding early rescue of the ship and the sailors.
European naval forces, meanwhile, continued surveillance efforts, including their helicopter patrolling the airspace and warship stationing at closer proximity to the hijacked ship.
Although the EU Naval Force confirmed their presence, they did not disclose any information regarding their mission.
Meanwhile, the owner of the MV Abdullah, KSRM Group, said they are still hopeful of a peaceful solution of the situation after a successful negotiation with the pirates.
"Our first priority is the safe return of our sailors without any armed intervention," said Mijanul Islam Media spokesman of KSRM Group.
Formally European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) Somalia is an ongoing counter-piracy military operation conducted at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean. Now named EU Navfor Atalanta, it was the first EU naval operation supported by the UN. The Indian Navy and other collaborative military operations also played a part.
By 2018, after a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, these pirates became almost entirely dormant.
At least 17 incidents of hijacking, attempted hijacking and suspicious approaches have been recorded by the Indian Navy since December 1 [2023], Indian officials previously said. EU Navfor Atalanta has been on high alert.
On March 12, MV Abdullah - a Bangladesh-flag bearing vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates and veered off to Somalias coastlines. This brings back the grim memory of Bangladeshs MV Moni Jahans hijacking by Somali pirates in 2010.
International forces began patrolling these waters when piracy surged between 2005 and 2012, but the focus recently moved up into the Red Sea, where Yemens Houthi rebel group have been attacking ships.
According to a CNBC report, global piracy costs the world economy tens of billions of dollars annually. Data from 2023 shows that by many key measures, piracy is on the rise in key global shipping lanes.
This begs the question, is the world set to return to the Somali pirates golden era? Time will tell.
The waterways off Somalia include some of the worlds busiest shipping lanes. Each year, an estimated 20,000 vessels, carrying everything from furniture and apparel to grains and fuel, pass through the Gulf of Aden on their way to and from the Red Sea and Suez Canal, the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia.
At their peak in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks and held hundreds of hostages, the International Maritime Bureau reported. That year, the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group estimated their activities cost the global economy about US$7 billion, including hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms.
The current rate of attacks is significantly less, with the pirates primarily targeting smaller vessels in less patrolled waters. Since November, they have successfully seized at least two cargo ships and 12 fishing vessels.
