‘Can’t wait to be home’

The Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, which was released by Somali pirates on April 14, may reach Kutubdia anchorage with 23 sailors and crewmembers tonight.

Meherul Karim, chief executive officer of the ship's owning firm SR Shipping Limited, told The Daily Star that the ship was around 350 nautical miles away from Kutubdia around 3:50pm yesterday.

At its current speed the ship may reach Kutubdia by tonight, he assured.

Once it arrives, a new batch of sailors and crewmen will be sent to the ship to replace the current crew, said Karim.

All 23 crewmembers will be brought to KSRM Lighter Jetty at Sadarghat in Chattogram by a lighter ship tomorrow (Tuesday).

From there, they will be sent to their respective homes, he added.

The crewmen on board the ship are overjoyed to be returning home after a long voyage. They were held captive by Somali pirates for around 33 days.

Meanwhile, this correspondent contacted Tanveer Ahmad, the 4th Engineer of the ship.

In a message sent to this correspondent, Tanveer said much like other crewmembers, he is excited as the ship is now close to the country's coast.

"All the crewmen are eagerly waiting to return home and meet their families," Tanveer said.

Regarding the release from the pirates, the young sailor said, "I feel like I got a second life."

MV Abdullah came under attack from Somali pirates on March 12, when it was carrying 55,000 tonnes of coal from the Maputo port of Mozambique to Al Hamriyah port in the UAE.

The pirates released the ship in the early hours of April 14 after reportedly receiving a ransom.