An official with SR Shipping Lines announced that one of his company’s bulk carriers was hijacked by Somali pirates Monday. All of the ship’s 23-member crew were reported to have been taken hostage.
The Bangladeshi vessel, MV Abdullah, was en route from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates with 55,000 tons of coal when the incident occurred. The incursion was said to have taken place when the ship was positioned about 600 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.
On Tuesday, crewmembers were able to send a message to their company confirming that none of the captured individuals were harmed in the abduction.
"All crew members are in good health, and we are diligently working on their safe rescue. Having previously encountered a similar situation, we are equipped with the necessary experience to manage this crisis effectively," SR Shipping CEO, Meherul Karim told The Business Standard.
Karim was likely referring to the 2010 capture of another company freighter, the MV Jahan Moni, when 25 sailors were held for two months before a ransom was paid to free them.
The International Maritime Organization has warned of the recurrence of Somalia-based privateers in the region because of the recent attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The U.N. organization fears that the demand to provide naval patrols to mitigate the actions of the Yemen-based Islamist group may be causing a security vacuum.
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