Bangladeshi ship beats Somali pirates

Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Crystal Gold has staged a nail-biting getaway from the clutches of pirates in the Arabian Sea.

Somali pirates had chased the ship while it was heading for Iran’s Bandar Abbas after offloading goods at the Kadla port, in Gujarat, India, said Jasim Uddin Sarkar, Chief Nautical Surveyor of Bangladesh Shipping Department.

The crew got wind of the pirates at around 4:30pm on Friday, about 40 km off Pakistan’s Karachi, when they spotted a big boat and a smaller vessel coming at them.

MV Golden Crystal did a sharp turnaround and headed, full throttle, for the Pakistan coast.

The pirates gave up as Bangladeshi ship reached the Pakistani coast at around 7pm.

Jasim Uddin said, “The crew of the Crystal Gold had, in accordance with the law, sought the help of the Pakistani navy. We have been informed that they are now safe.”

Captain Zakir Hossain has been in charge of the 28-year old ship that has a capacity of carrying 16,000 tonnes of goods.

The ship's owners said there were 23 Bangladeshis on the ship.

Managing Director of the owning company Crystal Navigation Ltd Murad Ibrahim said they were in touch of the ship and detailes could be known on Saturday.