Somali pirates commandeered a cargo ship flying the Bangladeshi flag close to the Indian Ocean, holding the crew captive

Dubai: According to local media sources quoting authorities and maritime security agencies, Somali groups have taken control of the cargo ship 9MV Abdullah, which is flying the flag of Bangladesh, and are holding 23 crew members hostage in the Indian Ocean. The MV Abdullah was hijacked on Tuesday when pirates boarded the ship and headed toward the United Arab Emirates.

The ship, which was transporting around 58,000 tons of coal from the Maputo port in Mozambique, was assaulted while it was approaching the Al Hamriyah Port in the United Arab Emirates. It was carrying 23 crew members and belonged to the Bangladeshi business SR Shipping Lines, which is a subsidiary company of the Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill Group (KSRM).

The ship is the most recent victim of Somali pirate raids that have resumed in recent months, albeit the marine security company Ambrey did not say that Somali pirates were the ones who boarded the ship. According to Ambrey, the ship was a bulk carrier flying the flag of Bangladesh, a kind of commercial vessel that sails out of Mozambique and is designed to carry heavy loads.

It said that the event occurred around 600 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The boarding event was also reported to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, which reported that 22 individuals with weapons had boarded the vessel. The crew was claimed to be uninjured as well.

What statements did authorities make?
According to local media, Meherul Karim, the CEO of KSRM, said that they were notified by the captain of the pirate kidnapping of the ship in the Indian Ocean in a brief message that they got at about 1:30 pm on Tuesday. He said that while the whole crew was being kept captive, they were all secure inside the ship’s cabin as the pirates took over.

“We learned that pirates were attacking the ship in the Indian Ocean. The Daily Star was informed by KSRM’s media consultant Mizabul Islam that 23 crew members are purportedly in a secure area inside the ship’s cabins while the pirates have seized control of the vessel.

The Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers’ Association president, Captain Anam Chowdhury, stated: “We got a WhatsApp message from a captive claiming pirates took over the ship and they were imprisoned inside the rooms. The pirates are armed with powerful weapons and ammo. The team has asked for our assistance and support. Our goal is to speak with senior government officials.”

The KSRM company purchased MV Abdullah, formerly known as Golden Hawk, last year. Of its twenty-three crew members, at least eleven are from the Chittagong district. On December 5, 2010, pirates took control of the MV Jahan Moni, which belonged to the sister company of SR Shipping, Brave Royal Shipping Line, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India.

Somali pirates’ kidnappings
From around 2008 to 2018, Somali pirates created havoc in significant international waterways. They had been dormant until the latter part of last year when piratical activities began to resurface. From November till now, there have been over 20 hijackings or attempted hijackings of boats in the Somali Basin and the Gulf of Aden, according to data from the Maritime Security Centre – the Horn of Africa, the center responsible for planning and coordinating the European Union’s anti-piracy effort against the waves.

According to maritime sources, while Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas are engaged in a conflict in Gaza, pirates may be emboldened by an easing of security measures or may be capitalizing on the confusion produced by Houthi assaults on ships in Yemen, which is affiliated with Iran.https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/rescuing-vess-in-the-Indian-Navy…

The Indian Navy saved 19 Pakistani citizens and foiled two Somali pirate hijackings in January, only 36 hours after saving the 17-person crew of the fishing vessel FV Iman. As Western nations concentrate on assaults by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, India has reportedly sent out at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea to guard against pirates and has looked into over 250 boats, according to authorities.