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MV Abdullah: Home she brings the sailors alive

Published : Wednesday, 15 May, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 331
Nurul Amin
CHATTOGRAM, May 14: After spending over two months of dreadful days in the hands of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The ship MV Abdullah and its 23 crew members returned home amid warm ovation on Tuesday.

Horrific dreams of torture of pirates during their hostage days are still haunting them. The hostage sailors spent their days and nights in between life and death.  They could not imagine that they would one day be reunited with their near and dear ones.  But at last they were successfully reunited with their family members on payment of a hefty amount of ransom to the Somali pirates.

Mothers happiness new no bounds after meeting their sailor sons, wives could not hide their love for their sailor husbands and the sons and daughters world became full of joy and fun.

The site of NCT-1, the landing spot of the sailors in Chattogram Port, had turned into a place of tears of joy and happiness.

The senior most public officials, political leaders, including the Chattogram Mayor M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and the Chattogram Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail were present at the NCT-1 jetty to greet the sailors, welcoming them with flowers.

The sailors of MV Abdullah have now been reunited with their family members after spending two months in tension and anxiety following their capture by Somali pirates.

A vessel Jahan Moni-3 owned by the same Group Kabir Steel and Re-rolling Mills Ltd (KSRM) carried the sailors from MV Abduulah to the New Mooring Container Terminal around 3:45pm on Tuesday.

The MV Abdullah had anchored at Kutubdia at 6:00pm on Monday. The lighter vessel Jahan Moni-3 then transported the inmates of the ship to the Chattogram Port.

The family members of the freed seafarers had been waiting at the jetty. Some of them brought national flags with them. They waved to welcome the sailors.

Usually the sailors remain away from families on a ship for six months or more when setting off for various destinations. They often travel to ports around the world before returning home. As such, their absence is  nothing new to their families. But this stay in the ship is quite different to the family members of the sailors. Because, they were under the captivity of the pirates and there was uncertainty of their safe return.

So, the families had spent days in extreme anxiety and worry hoping their loved ones would return home safe.

The family members grew concerned amid news of food and water shortages on board the ship and spent a joyless Eid without their loved ones.

MV Abdullah, the Bangladeshi-flagged ship released by Somali pirates after a month in captivity anchored in Kutubdia Channel Monday evening. The ship will stay there for two days for unloading cargo. But 23 sailors reached Chattogram City on Tuesday afternoon on board Jahan Moni-3.

It has been unloading in Kutubdia some of the 56,000 tonnes of stones it is carrying from the UAE which will take two days.

Meanwhile, the ship MV Abdullah manned by 23 sailors left the United Arab Emirates Port for Chattogram on April 28 last. The ship had been hijacked by the Somali pirates on March 12 last which was released on April 14.

The ship was on its way to Mina Saqr Port in the UAE to take some goods after unloading its cargo at Al Hamriya Port in Dubai on April 27.

On March 12, Somali pirates seized control of the MV Abdullah and took the 23 sailors on board hostage. The vessel was transporting 55,000 tonnes of coal from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates at the time.

After capturing the vessel, the pirates moved it to the Somali coast and regularly changed its position. Nine days after the vessel was hijacked, the pirates contacted the owners through a third party. They were released on April 13 after one month in captivity.



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