Dwaipayan Barua

Having been a hostage by Somali pirates for 33 days was so terrifying for a young general steward of hijacked ship MV Abdullah that he is not only scared to travel back home on the same ship, but is also considering a break from the mariner’s job.

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.

The Daily Star spoke to the family members of one crew member to find out how the events unfolded

Says a sailor of MV Abdullah from captivity

Says crew's family members

This year’s Eid will be one of desolation for the families of the 23 crew members held hostage by the Somali pirates who have hijacked Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah.

In December, a historic deal marked the start of a new era for port management across the country as Bangladesh welcomed its first foreign port operator.

If you get a chance to take a stroll inside the present-day terminal of Chattogram Port, a world of mechanical marvels awaits.

Nine days after the hijacking of Bangladeshi bulk career MV Abdullah, pirates yesterday made first contact with the ship’s owning firm KSRM Group through a third party.

The pirates who hijacked the Bangladeshi bulk career MV Abdullah were yet to contact the ship’s owning firm or any third party for ransom as of yesterday.

The pirates took the Bangladesh-flagged ship 45 to 50 nautical miles to the north and anchored it 4 nautical miles off the coast of Godobjiran town of Somalia yesterday evening.

The hostages on board the hijacked Bangladesh-flagged ship were taken to their cabins from the bridge after the pirates anchored the vessel as dawn broke over the Somali port of Garacad.

Hijacked ship’s crew member tells his mother over phone

Says a crew member of the hijacked ship in a voice message sent to his brother

Neither the government nor the firm that owns the Bangladesh-flagged ship hijacked with 23 crew members has been able to contact the hostages or pirates as of last night.

AP Moller Maersk, a Danish shipping and logistics company, will likely invest between $300 and $400 million for constructing the Laldia container terminal at Chattogram Port, according to project officials.

Armed robberies of domestic and foreign vessels coming into the Chattogram port decreased sharply in the concluding year, according to two international organisations.

Govt guidelines issued for ships using the route

A section of lighter vessel operators and cargo agents in Bangladesh are not accepting the interim solution for allocating ships to transport import cargo from Chattogram port via inland waterways, citing preferential treatment in the selection process.

Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) saw its earnings per share (EPS) plunge 26 percent year-on-year to Tk 3.29 in the October-December period of the current fiscal year, according to disclosure on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE).