Hijacking of MV Abdullah: A phone call shatters all joy of first Iftar #mvabdulah

Hijacking of MV Abdullah: A phone call shatters all joy of first Iftar
Mother of Chief Officer Atik receives call from her son while taking iftar
Atik is only earning member of the family
The family receives a voice message after the phone call
Shahanur Begum, mother of Chief Officer Md Atik Ullah Khan of the Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship MV Abdullah received a phone call from her beloved son on Tuesday evening when their family was enjoying iftar on the first day of Ramadan.

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The traumatic phone call shattered all the joys of Atik’s family.

Atik is one of the hostages among 23 crew members of the Bangladeshi cargo vessel MV Abdullah hijacked by a group of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.

He managed to make the phone call to his mother after Somalian pirates hijacked the vessel in the Indian Ocean.

Family members and relatives of 23 sailors-crew are counting every moment in anxiety.

Atik’s house is on the third floor of Subarna Farid Tower in Pukurpar area of Nandankanan Rath under Kotwali police station of Chittagong city.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was seen that the relatives are anxious about the hostage news of the only earner of the family.

Three months ago he saw off his family members and went to the ship. He was supposed to return after six months.

Meanwhile, he has been held hostage by pirates, said his mother.

During a visit at the house, Shahanur Begum, Atik Ullah's elderly mother at home, said in a tearful voice: "When I sat down to take my iftar, my son made the phone call and informed us that their ship had been attacked by Somalian pirates. He also told us that they could be attacked at any time. The pirates held them hostage at gunpoint in a cabin. But none were hurt.”

“Don't be tense. Please pray for us more, “said Atik to his mother.

Her son sent a voice message 20 minutes after the phone call, said Shahanur Begum.

“All mobile phones have been taken from all of us. They will take mine too. I will not be able to contact you again. They are taking us to their hideout in Somalia. It may take two and a half days to reach there,” said the voice message.

Family wants release of Atik at any cost
“We want the release of my son and other sailors. My earnest request to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is to take the initiative to return my son to me. That is our only demand. Owners should also take initiative to free them. I want my son back unharmed,” said Shahanur Begum.

The village home of Atik is in Barkal Union of Chandanish upazila of Chittagong.

He has three daughters. Among them, the eldest daughter Yasha Fatima is a third-grade student, daughter Umaiza Mahabin is a first grade student and younger daughter Khadija Mahabin is two years old.

Shahanur Begum said: “I have five daughters and two sons. Atik is the elder among the two sons. He is the only breadwinner of the family. My entire family depends on his earnings. His father died in 2017. Since then, Atik has taken control of the family.”

Atil's wife Meena Azmain is five months pregnant.

Hearing about her husband's danger, she became even more ill. She had to be admitted to the hospital on Tuesday. Meena Azmain loses consciousness thinking about her husband's danger.

Atik Ullah's eldest daughter Yasha Fatima said: “My father used to call me every day. He has not made any phone calls since Tuesday. My father is in great danger. I want my father to come back to us soon.”

His younger brother Mohammad Abdullah Khan Asif said that they are passing days with anxiety after hearing the news of his elder brother being held hostage by pirates.

“In any case, we demand that my brother should come back to us soon. I hope that the owner of the ship will take initiative soon. He sent some audio voices on Tuesday. There he talks about being held hostage by pirates. He asked for prayers,” said Abdullah.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association (BMMOA) Md Shakhawat Hossain said: "We are maintaining communication with the ship owners. We want the hostage sailors to be released from captivity as soon as possible. We keep trying. Similarly, we are also trying to console the relatives of 23 people by contacting them.”

Among the 23 crew members, 11 are from Chittagong, two from Noakhali and one each from Natore, Naogaon, Feni, Faridpur, Lakshmipur, Barisal, Netrakona, Sirajganj, Tangail and Khulna.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon.

MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping – a sister company of the Chittagong-based Kabir Steel Re-rolling Mills (KSRM) Ltd.
All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam.