MV Abdullah: Fresh water access limited for crew
Hijackers allowed them to speak to family
The 23-member crew of the hijacked Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah are suffering from an acute water crisis as the pirates restricted its use due to depleting stock.
The crew, held hostage on board since March 12, are now getting water from the ship's reservoir for only a couple of hours a week.
They are allowed to take baths and store drinking water within this short window, families of several crew members told The Daily Star yesterday.
After about a week's break, the pirates allowed several crew members to call their families over satellite phone on Friday.
Most of the crew members have developed skin problems as they cannot maintain hygiene properly, they said.
The ship's owner, SR Shipping, however, denied receiving any complaint from the crew about the water crisis.
Speaking to their families, the crew members said the pirates brought in a few dumba (fat-tailed sheep), but the meat of those would mostly be consumed by the pirates.
The mother of a crew member yesterday said her son talked to her on Friday morning for several minutes.
She said the crew are using a limited amount of water for drinking and cooking. The crew are still having food from the ship's depleting stock.
The wife of another crew member echoed the same. She said the crew are now being given small quantities of food to make sure that the ship's stock lasts longer.
Giving similar information, the mother of another crew member expressed worries over the prompt release of the crew members.
She said they are yet to get any timeframe from the ship's owning firm for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
"They [officials of the firm] are assuring us of doing everything for the release of the crew members. But we are still not quite sure how long it will take," said the frustrated mother.
Discussions are ongoing with the pirates through a third party, said Mizanul Islam, media adviser of KSRM Group, which owns SR Shipping.
He hoped the pirates would arrange food and water as they did previously in case of any shortage.