The Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah, which was liberated by Somali pirates on April 14, has arrived close to Kutubdia anchorage, anticipated to reach within a couple of hours.
Meherul Karim, the CEO of the ship's owning company SR Shipping Ltd, affirmed this to The Daily Star this afternoon.
The vessel entered Bangladeshi waters earlier today and is presently making its way towards Kutubdia anchorage, as per Karim.
Karim expressed optimism that it would be anchored at the location by this evening.
According to at least two crew members, the ship was nearing Kutubdia anchorage around 4:30 pm, with an estimated anchoring time of two hours.
All 23 Bangladeshi sailors and crew members will be transported to Chattogram via a lighter ship tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.
Karim mentioned that a fresh set of crew members is preparing to embark on a lighter ship bound for Kutubdia to assume control of the MV Abdullah.
Upon handing over responsibilities, the returning 23 sailors and crew members will be brought to KSRM lighter jetty at Sadarghat in the port city tomorrow afternoon, Karim disclosed.
The vessel fell victim to Somali pirates on March 12, while transporting 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 purportedly receiving ransom.
Upon release, the ship proceeded to the UAE port of Al Hamriyah on April 22, unloaded its cargo, and then sailed to another UAE port, Mina Saqr, to load import cargo bound for Bangladesh.
Following the loading of approximately 56 thousand tonnes of limestone, the ship departed the UAE port of Mina Saqr in the early hours of April 30 and made a stop at a nearby port for refueling before setting course for Chattogram.
