Pirates hijack cargo ship near Somalia (VIDEO)

A Bangladeshi-flagged bulk carrier was boarded by 20 armed individuals off the coast of Somalia, who subsequently took its 23-member crew hostage. 

On Tuesday, Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills, the owner of the vessel, stated that the MV Abdullah was attacked en route from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, to the United Arab Emirates, carrying a cargo of 55,000 tons of coal.

“A group of 15-20 Somali pirates hijacked the ship,” Meherul Karim, the CEO of Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills, said. 

The crew of the ship sent a message that read: “MV Abdullah. Pirates attack on Somalia, please help us. They have guns. We are attacked.” 

Asifur Rahman, a crew member, posted on Facebook that the ship was being “attacked by Somalian pirates,” and shared a video showing the pirates boarding the vessel.

According to Karim, the crew was unharmed, adding, “we are waiting for the next message and call.”

Ambrey, a maritime security firm, confirmed that a group of armed individuals had taken over the ship. The security firm claimed the incident took place in the Indian Ocean approximately 600 nautical miles (1,111km) east of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

From 2008 to 2018, Somali pirates disrupted critical world waterways, causing widespread chaos. After a period of relative quiet, pirate activity began to rise again late last year.

In December, the first successful case of Somali piracy was documented, sparking concerns over a potential resurgence of raids in the Indian Ocean – on top of the attacks on shipping by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Somali pirates have attacked commercial ships and oil tankers in order to take them over and demand ransoms.

Kabir Group has the highest number of ships among Bangladeshi firms, with SR Shipping Limited managing the vessels on behalf of the group.