MV Abdullah hijacking: Hope as Somali pirates make first contact

In a positive turn of events, the Somali pirates who had hijacked the Bangladeshi-flagged MV Abdullah contacted the owners of the vessel for the first time on Wednesday (20 March) afternoon, nine days after the ship was hijacked from the Indian Ocean.

Confirming the matter, Mizanul Islam, media adviser of Kabir Group, said, "Since the incident on 12 March, we have been in regular contact with all the relevant sources and organisations. However, for the first time today, a third party has contacted us on behalf of the pirates."

"We were informed about the overall condition of the sailors aboard. Now, we will take the next steps through the third party. Our first effort will be to bring the sailors back home unharmed," he added.

Authorities at SR Shipping, a concern of Kabir Group of Industries and the owner of the vessel, claimed that the owners had already begun preparing various negotiation processes through mediators before the pirates made the first contact.

"An environment for discussions is now being established. We will now move forward to secure the release of the hostages," said Mehrul Karim, CEO of SR Shipping Ltd.

People familiar with the developments believe the pirates may demand a ransom now that the contact has been initiated. Negotiating could lead to an agreement that secures the release of the ship and its crew. 

Captain Shakhawat Hossain, general secretary of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers' Association said, "The initiation of contact is a positive development, as it ends a period of uncertainty.

"The pirates have likely made or will make their demands known, and an agreement will be reached between them and the ship owners. The quicker the negotiation, the sooner the crew will be released."

Regarding the ransom process, Mohammad Idris, the sailor of the Kabir Group-owned Jahan Moni vessel, that returned from Somali kidnappers in 2011, told the Business Standard "There are some international groups, for example, the Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Club, that act as third parties and deliver the demands and messages of kidnappers' to the ship owners. 

"This third party later acts as a mediator between the hijacker and the ship's owner."

On 12 March, MV Abdullah was en route from Mozambique to the UAE carrying 50,000 tons of coal when pirates hijacked the vessel 600 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. 

Within three days, the ship, with its 23 crew members, was taken to the coast of Somalia. The pirates anchored the ship off the coast of Somalia's Gadhavjiran last Friday after changing locations twice.

However, with surveillance pressure from international navies, the ship was moved further inland as several warships approached, according to Merchant Navy Captain Atiq UA Khan, who informed the owners on Tuesday night.

Using a radio phone, the captain informed the owner that the pirates were threatening to beach the vessel if there were any naval pressure and then it would be impossible to save the ship.

Earlier, the Bangladesh government and the ship's owner declined permission to international navies to carry out any operation to rescue the hostages. The CEO of SR Shipping stated that the safety of the 23 sailors was the most important thing.

This is the second time a Bangladeshi ship has been attacked by pirates. Earlier in 2010, the MV Jahan Moni ship of the same company was also hijacked by Somali sailors. At that time there were a total of 26 people including 25 crew and the captain's wife. They were brought back to the country after 100 days with ransom.