Staff Reporter :
In a recent development, the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA has positioned a naval ship close to the MV Abdullah, a Bangladeshi vessel hijacked by Somali pirates on March 12. The operation aims to address the piracy threat that has escalated since November 2023, with three commercial vessels attacked, including the ongoing situation with MV Abdullah.
EU NAVFOR shared updates via an official X (formerly Twitter) post late Thursday night, Bangladesh time, highlighting the persistent piracy issues and the deployment near the hijacked ship, which has 23 crew members, all of whom are Bangladeshi.
Visuals released on X show the EU Naval Force’s warship from Operation ATALANTA located a few nautical miles from the MV Abdullah, with a helicopter seen flying over the area, indicating active surveillance and readiness.
Despite the EU’s readiness to intervene, the owners of MV Abdullah, managed by Kabir Group, have expressed reluctance to endorse a rescue
operation that could potentially endanger the lives of the hostage sailors.
Mizanul Islam, a media advisor for Kabir Group, emphasized the priority of ensuring the crew’s safe return, advocating for a peaceful resolution through negotiations rather than a raid or forceful actions.
“Our top priority is the safe return of the sailors. Hence, we oppose any raid or violent actions. We do not endorse activities that endanger their lives.”
Regarding the deployment of EU warships, he said, “We do not have a stance on the deployment of EU naval vessels. It is an internal matter for them.”
“We have communicated our stance to the media, emphasizing our disapproval of raids. The Bangladesh government is also aligned with this approach,” he added.
Mizanul Islam mentioned that negotiations are currently underway with the pirates to secure the safe release of the ship’s crew.
“We are still in the preliminary stages of discussions. Drawing from past experiences, we know that previously it took approximately 100 days to secure the return of the sailors.
We are optimistic that through peaceful negotiations, a resolution will be achieved in a much shorter timeframe,” he remarked, citing the hijacking of MV Jahan Moni, also owned by Kabir Group, by Somali pirates in 2010.
