Online Desk: Hijacked Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah, along with hostages freed from the clutches of Somali pirates, is expected to arrive at Kutubdia on Monday. After unloading a portion of the vessel’s cargo, the sailors will be brought to the jetty by Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
Mehrul Karim, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the vessel owner company, SR Shipping Ltd has confirmed the information. He saind that the ship was about 350 nautical miles away from Kutubdia at 3:50 pm on Sunday.
The CEO said, “We expecting that the ship will be arrived in Kutubdia by Monday evening or night.”
Mizanul Islam, media advisor of KSRM – parent company of the vessel, said,
“All the sailors on board are healthy. After they reach Kutubdia, we will be able to discuss our next course of action.”
MV Abdullah brought in 56,000 tonnes of limestone imported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Part of the cargo will be unloaded at Kutubdia and the ship will come to Chattogram Port outer anchorage for unloading the rest of the cargo.
Meanwhile, 23 sailors will be reunited with their relatives after 64 days of being held hostage. Their relatives are waiting to welcome them.
A month after being kidnapped by Somali pirates, the MV Abdullah vessel and 23 sailors were released on April 13, 12am Somalia time and 3:00 am Bangladesh time. The ransom was delivered by a special aircraft.
After release, the ship left for Dubai. The vessel reached the outer anchorage of Dubai Al Hamriya port in the UAE around 4:30pm on April 21.