The Bangladeshi-flagged ship ‘MV Abdullah’, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, was released after 31 days of captivity and reached Al Hamriya Port in Dubai safely.
The MV Abdullah, owned by SR Shipping Limited and carrying 55,000 tons of coal, was en route from Maputo, Mozambique, to the United Arab Emirates when it was hijacked. The pirates demanded a ransom of $5 million, and the ship was released on April 13. Fortunately, all 23 crew members, who are Bangladeshis, are safe.
The vessel will be unloaded Sunday or Monday, and two crew members will return to Bangladesh by flight while the others will join the ship in the first week of May.
To remind, according to EU Atalanta, although there have been no piracy-related incidents in the past few days, the payment of ransom could create a new wave of Dhow hijackings which in their turn they will create future skiff attacks on M/V etc.
Considering the occurrence of previous significant attacks on merchant vessels within 12 days after reports of dhow hijackings, and the reports of multiple skiffs, each carrying armed individuals with the intent to capture dhows. ATALANTA continues to assess the threat as Moderate (where an attack is a Realistic Possibility) off the Somali coasts.
