The 20 hijackers of the 'Abdullah' have demanded a $50 million ransom and threatened to kill the crew if there was any delay in payment. The ship was due to reach Somalia anchjorage early on March 14. All the crew members were reportedly safe and sound for the time being. A European Union vessel was tracking the ship as it headed toward the coast. At that time, there was a gunfight between the two sides. However, the raiding vessel later retreated fearing the death of the sailors held hostage on the Bangladeshi vessel. Meanwhile relatives received calls from board: "Our ship has been attacked. The ship is being hijacked and taken to the coast of Somalia. We are all being held in a room. We have not been beaten. By the grace of Allah, we are doing well, so far, please pray!" These were the words of ASM Saiduzzaman, chief engineer of the hijacked 'Abdullah' to his wife Mehreen Safrin, living in the RG Naogaon area of Naogaon city Zaman, by phone on the night of March 12. On March 13 morning, a recorded voice message came to Mehreen's phone again. In that message, a voice was heard saying, "Sir is fine. Sir is sleeping after eating Sehri. If you have any messages, send an SMS to this number." Mehreen, worried about her husband, said, "The work of the ship is very risky. Sometimes when he goes deep into the sea, there is no contact with him for 15-20 days. I used to worry then. I would only get in touch with him when he came back within the network. But this time the matter is very worrying. They have fallen into the hands of pirates. I see in the news that if they don't get the ransom, they will kill them one by one. “I am spending my time in extreme anxiety in this situation. I can't go anywhere for help with my one-year-old daughter and ailing in-laws. Our appeal to the government and the shipping company authorities is to somehow rescue my husband from the pirates." Qaiyum, a former principal of Sapahar Government College in Nawabganj and former president of Nawabganj District Press Club, received a call from his son's number on March 13 at 3:30 p.m. He called and said that their ship had been attacked by pirates. The ship is being taken to the coast of Somalia. After that, he sent a voice SMS from another number in the night and the next morning. He said in the voice SMS that he was doing well. The pirates did not beat him. They are all being held in a room. They are not being given much water to drink as there is a shortage of food and water on the ship." Omn March 12 at 1:30 pm Bangladesh time, Somali pirates had boarded and took control of the ship, en route from Maputo with 58,000 tonnes of coal. All 23 sailors on board were Bangladeshis. The ship is owned by SR Shipping Limited, an associate company of Chattogram’s Kabir Group.
News
APIRADEE NAREE
The 'Apiradee Naree', while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) on March 6, 2024, at 12.30 a.m., en route from Mangalore to Guangzhou, was boarded by three perpetrators in pos. 1° 7.63' N 103° 51.5' E. Nothing was reported stolen. The ship continued on its way with an ETA as of March 11.
NAVE CAIO DUILIO
The 'Caio Duilio', serving in the European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea, has shot down two drones as acts of self-defense, Italy’s Defense Staff said on March 12. The destroyer already had shot down another drone on March 2. The EU’s mission Aspides in the Red Sea was launched in February to help protect the key maritime trade route from drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia.
ST NIKOLAS
Iran has allowed a crew change from the captured 'St Nikolas', still held off Bandar Abbas. The vessel’s shipmanager, Greece-based Empire Navigation, confirmed in an email that 11 of the 17 remaining seafarers on board the tanker have been released. The 11 Filipino seafarers were due to return home to Manila starting on March 10. Nine of the crew arrived on that day, and two others were due to arrive on March 13. The remaining six seafarers were expected to also return as soon as their replacements arrive. The company expressed its sincere gratitude to our crew for their commendable behaviour and resilience during this trying period, our Manning Agent in Manila and the Department of Migrant Workers for their excellent cooperation. A replacement crew will be arriving at the vessel.
PINOCCHIO
The Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at the 'Pinocchio', en route from Jeddah to Suez in the Red Sea, on March 11, 2024. The ship was not damaged but the US responded with six raids against targets in Houthi areas in Yemen. The strikes destroyed an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles, which had presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.