Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Abdullah and its 23 crew members, who were held hostage by Somali pirates, have been released.
KSRM media advisor Mizanul Islam confirmed this at 3:45 am on Sunday. He told UNB that, "We received the good news a while ago. Our ship with 23 sailors has been released. All 23 sailors are unharmed and in good health. We will hold a press conference at the KSRM headquarters at noon on Sunday to provide details."
The Bangladeshi-flagged ship and its 23 crew members were released after 31 days of being taken hostage in the Indian Ocean for a large ransom, but the exact amount of the ransom was not immediately known.
However, a Somali news outlet reported that MV Abdullah was released for $5 million (Tk 55 crore).
When asked by a reporter how much ransom was paid to the Somali pirates, Mizanul said, "I can`t say that at this moment. But we were able to get our ship and sailors back through negotiations with them."
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said, the vessel and sailors have been released in soonest possible time and Bangladeshi government has no information of paying ransom against the release.
Meanwhile, the ship has already left Somalia and is heading towards the United Arab Emirates, according to the owner, KSRM Group. Shahriar Jahan Rahat, the company`s deputy managing director, told the media early Sunday, "Our ship has left for the United Arab Emirates after being released."
Earlier, on March 12 at 1:30 pm Bangladesh time, Somali pirates boarded and took control of the MV Abdullah while it was en route from the port of Maputo, Mozambique, to the United Arab Emirates. The ship was carrying 55,000 tons of coal. All 23 crew members on board are Bangladeshis. The ship is owned by SR Shipping Limited, an affiliate of Chattogram-based Kabir Group. The pirates then took the ship to the coast of Somalia.
Nine days after the ship was hijacked, the pirates contacted the ship`s owner`s group to demand ransom. There were then negotiations at various levels. The ship`s owner had hinted that the sailors would be released this month.
SR Shipping is one of the largest shipping companies in the country. They operate ocean-going merchant ships. The bulk carrier MV Abdullah, with a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 45,653 tons, has an overall length (LOA) of 185.74 metres and a width of 30.4 metres.
