MV Abdullah en route to UAE

Previous experience of KSRM Group officials in dealing with Somalian pirates during the hijack of MV Jahan Moni in 2010 helped them secure the release of MV Abdullah and its 23 crew members through successful negotiations.

It took almost 100 days to free MV Jahan Moni and 26 on board from Somali pirates. But MV Abdullah and its crew have been freed within 32 days. However, a huge amount of ransom had to be reportedly paid in both the cases.

According to Reuters and some Somali news portals, around $5 million was paid to the pirates for the release of MV Abdullah. It was reported previously that a ransom of over $4 million had to be paid for Jahan Moni.

The ship owning firm refused to say anything about paying ransoms due to confidentiality of the agreements with the pirates.

Pirates attacked MV Abdullah about 600 nautical miles (about 1,110 kilometres) off the Somali coast around 1:30pm on March 12 (Bangladesh time). The vessel was sailing from Maputo in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah in the UAE.

The ship was taken close to a Somali coast before an English-speaking assistant of the pirates’ commander first contacted the officials of KSRM Group on March 20.

The pirates left the ship around 3:08am on April 14 (Bangladesh time) after the terms and conditions, set by them for the release of the vessel and its crew, were fulfilled.

Pirate activities reportedly began in Somalia’s water territory long ago, but incidents rapidly increased during the war in Somalia from 2006 to 2009. The situation had been grave until 2012 when piracy dropped dramatically due to improved anti-piracy measures.

According to the reports under the project titled “Oceans Beyond Piracy”, 31 vessels were released by Somali pirates in 2011 after they got ransom. The number dropped to eight in the following year. The average hostage period for a vessel was 178 days in 2011 while it was 316 days in 2012.

Pirate activities in and around Somalia’s water territory increased again since November last year.

Expert mariners say the Somali pirates have become active again due to a lack monitoring by foreign navy forces as their ships were diverted to Gulf of Aden and Red Sea due to Yemeni Houthi attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war.

On March 16, 2024, Indian Navy by forceful intervention freed Bulgarian ship MV Ruen from Somali pirates. The ship had been under captivity for three months.

It also reportedly tried to use force to free MV Abdullah but it backed out in face of opposition from the Bangladesh government and the ship owner.

Shakawat Hossain, secretary of Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers’ Association (BMMOA), said KSRM officials could take prompt measures due to the firm’s previous experience about dealing with such a situation.

This time they were more confident about securing the release of the ship and its crew members, he said.

KSRM Group Deputy Managing Director Shahriar Jahan Rahat said they had no idea about what to do when MV Jahan Moni was hijacked in December 2010.

“We were in a fix over the hijacking as we had no idea about what to do and whom we should contact,” he told this correspondent yesterday.

But this time the KSRM authorities formed a seven-member team within an hour after hearing about the hijacking of MV Abdullah.

The officials completed preparations for the negotiation within a short time before the pirates made their first contact, said Shahriar.

The ship’s insurer, British P&I (protection and indemnity) Club, also took prompt steps. A day after the hijack, it sent a crisis management team to Bangladesh to assist the KSRM team.

“The negotiation with the pirates became a mind-game duel as the attitude of the pirates’ representatives changed several times. Sometimes they were adamant about not giving any space for bargaining over the terms and conditions,” said Shahriar.

The pirates also seemed to be keen to complete the negotiations at the earliest, he added.

BMMOA President Anam Chowdhury said the deployment of war ships by the European Union Naval Force in the vicinity of MV Abdullah also put pressure on the Somalian pirates.

Sabbir Mahmood, principal officer at the Mercantile Marine Office of the shipping department, said negotiations with the pirates reached final stage by April 4.

Negotiations on some issues, including finding a suitable way for handing over the ransom money, were done later, he told The Daily Star.

The negotiation ended by April 12 when both parties almost agreed to all the terms and conditions, said KSRM CEO Meherul Karim.

“We asked the pirates to send videos of each of the 23 crew showing that they all were physically well and sound. The pirates obliged.”

Escorted by an Italian navy frigate, the ship travelled 200 nautical miles from the Somalian coast till yesterday evening, said the KSRM CEO.

It would take one more week for the vessel to reach the port of Al Hamriyah in the UAE, he added.