All 23 crew members of MV Abdullah are now en route to the UAE after Somali pirates released them earlier today.

Soon after their release The Daily Star spoke to the family members of one crew member to find out how the events unfolded.

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Somali pirates say MV Abdullah released after $5 million ransom paid

Wishing anonymity, the mother of the crewman spoke at length about the phone call that took place with her son soon after the sailors were released by the pirates.

A small aircraft flew in circles above the MV Abdullah around 4:00pm (local time) yesterday, she said.

Photo: Collected

The pirates first brought all 23 sailors to the deck of the ship at gunpoint. The crew raised their hands, as a gesture to the aircraft to ensure that they were unarmed and safe.

Soon the exchange began.

A bag full of money was thrown from the aircraft in the sea, which the pirates retrieved in a speedboat.

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Pirates release MV Abdullah, crew

The pirates took another 7-8 hours to determine their safety. At Somali time 12:08am (Bangladesh time 3:08am), the pirates left MV Abdullah on a speedboat, the mother said, citing her son.

The vessel then started its journey towards the UAE, escorted by two navy ships.

The ship, owned by KSRM Group, was captured at gunpoint on March 12 around 600 nautical miles off the Somalian coast, while carrying coal from Maputo in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah in the UAE.