MV Abdullah is currently discharging coal at Al Hamriyah Port of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being released by Somali pirates on 14 April, following a reported payment of $5 million ransom.
The Bangladeshi-flagged vessel, carrying 55,000 metric tonnes of coal, began unloading on Tuesday, with the process commencing at 12:00pm on Monday.
After the coal unloading is complete, the ship will be loaded with other goods. The vessel, owned by SR Shipping Limited, a subsidiary of Kabir Group, is set to return to Bangladesh with all 23 crew members onboard.
Media Consultant of Kabir Group Mizanul Islam confirmed that the crew members have decided to return home on the vessel. Two sailors initially planned to return via air, but they will now join the rest of the crew for the journey back to Bangladesh after a week.
The vessel is expected to arrive in Bangladesh in mid-May. This follows a harrowing incident on March 12th when the ship was hijacked by armed Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean while en route from Maputo Port in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah Port.
The crew endured 32 days of captivity before being released, covering a distance of approximately 1450 nautical miles to reach Al Hamriyah port.
This is not the first time SR Shipping Limited has faced such a situation. In 2010, Somali pirates hijacked another Bangladeshi vessel, MV Jahan Moni, belonging to the same company. After 99 days in captivity, the pirates released the vessel and its crew members, who finally returned to Chattogram on March 21, 2011, ending a period of uncertainty for their families.
