Somali pirates who made their first contact with the vessel’s owner, SR Shipping, on March 20, held general talks about the ship and the crew members. They informed the company that all the crew members were safe and sound and will not be tortured. No ransom demands have been made yet for the 23 crew abducted on March 12. Commodore Mohammad Maqsood Alam, director general (DG) of the Department of Shipping, said: “We’ve got in touch with them and had positive talks about rescuing the hostages. We’ll soon make efforts to rescue the crew and the ship”. With reports earlier this week that international navies were willing to try and free the ship and its crew, the pirates have let it be known that they have fortified the 'Abdullah'. Anti-aircraft weaponry has been installed on the ship, as well at coastal positions nearby.
News
MADO
Yemen's Houthi Rebels claimed attacks targeting the 'Mado’ in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel was twice targeted by Houthi missiles on March 15 and March 17, 2024, with the attacks both times missing the vessel. The missile fired on March 17 missed the ship only by 200 meters. The LPG tanker was heading to Singapore from Yanbu in Saudi Arabia at the time of the attacks.
FRENCH WARSHIP
An drone of the Houthis was intercepted in the Red Sea by the helicopter on board a French frigate, the 'Languedoc' or 'Alsace', which was targeting a merchant ship on March 20, 2024. Both ships were deployed to the Middle East as part of the EU mission Aspides, launched on Feb 19 to protect ships threatened by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The French Army did not specify which frigate had intercepted the drone nor indicated the exact location of the incident. The French navy has already intercepted drones probably fired by the Houthis on several occasions. Report with photos: https://www.leparisien.fr/international/mer-rouge-la-marine-francaise-intercepte-un-nouveau-drone-tire-depuis-le-yemen-20-03-2024-GEW62ZZZCBD3HBGIQYZBJQ6HBI.php
ABDULLAH
On March 18 the 'Abdullah' was moved north thrice before it anchored four nautical miles off the Somali coast. The Somali pirates were constantly moving the vessel to avoid attacks by British and Indian naval ships, exploiting an international law that prohibits foreign vessels within 12 nautical miles of a country's maritime border. Bangladesh was looking to peacefully end the hostage situation to bring the sailors back safely. An officer of the Department of Naval Trade said, “We do not want to encourage the use of force if there is a risk. We prioritise rescuing the personnel first, then ships and cargo.” A joint team of Somali police and international navies was preparing to launch an operation to free the ship and the 23 sailors on board. The Kabir Group, the owner of the ship, said that they are not aware of any such operations, stating: “Our priority is to bring back the sailors safely. A clear message has been given by the government to various international navies regarding such operations. We have no idea about the operations of the international navy.” The Somalian pirates have communicated with the KSRM Group eight days after the ship was hijacked on March 20 at noon. The pirates did not claim any ransom money. All the sailors held hostage by the pirates were said to be in good health.
FRENCH WARSHIP
A drone of the Houthis was intercepted in the Red Sea by the helicopter on board a French frigate, the 'Languedoc' or 'Alsace', which was targeting a merchant ship on March 20, 2024. Both ships were deployed to the Middle East as part of the EU mission Aspides, launched on Feb 19 to protect ships threatened by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The French Army did not specify which frigate had intercepted the drone nor indicated the exact location of the incident. The French navy has already intercepted drones probably fired by the Houthis on several occasions. Report with photos: https://www.leparisien.fr/international/mer-rouge-la-marine-francaise-intercepte-un-nouveau-drone-tire-depuis-le-yemen-20-03-2024-GEW62ZZZCBD3HBGIQYZBJQ6HBI.php