Hijacked Bangladeshi ship reaches Somalia; Crew remains hostage

A security ship followed the Bangladeshi hijacked ship Abduallah and fought with the pirates on Wednesday (13 March) night, according to a crew member onboard.

He sent the updates to his relatives in Bangladesh through WhatsApp message, saying the security ship was probably from Navy of any nearest countries.

The security personnel had warned the pirates to free the ship and the hostages. However, instead of freeing them, the pirates retaliated and warned to kill the crew members if the security ship came close to the hijacked ship, the crew member said.

After the warning, the Navy vessel followed the hijacked ship from 20 nautical miles away. Meantime, the Bangladeshi ship reached the Somalian coast and remained there.

“The pirates will now hand over us to another group,” said the crew member. “We may not be able to contact you anymore then.” The new group consists of 19 pirates, while the 50 pirates, who were previously onboard left the ship, according to the seafarer.

In the meantime, the European Union's maritime security force, the EU naval Force, reported on Wednesday that it has been following the hijacked Bangladeshi ship as it moves towards the Somalian coast.

In a statement, the EU said, “Currently one ATALANTA ship is shadowing the pirate vessel. Furthermore, Operation ATALANTA is in contact with Bangladesh and Somali authorities, with our partners in maritime security in the area, such as the Indian Navy, and regional forces, to coordinate the most efficient action. The situation on board is that pirates have seized and taken its 23-member crew hostage. The crew is safe, and the action is still ongoing. The ship is sailing towards the Somali coast.”

According to sources, the hijackers have not contacted the ship owner until now.

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