DHAKA — The chief engineer of the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Bangla Joyatra, stranded at sea near the United Arab Emirates, said the crew has been receiving missile-strike alerts on their mobile phones and continuous warnings over the wireless network.
“We are getting missile-attack warnings on our mobile phones. Various messages are being relayed on the wireless network. We are being told that anyone attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz will be attacked,” Chief Engineer Rashedul Hasan told BBC Bangla.
The ship has 31 crew members, including sailors and engineers, several of whom said they have witnessed repeated missile strikes since the Iran war began and have seen debris from downed missiles falling on nearby vessels.
None of the Bangladeshi sailors on board knows when they will be able to cross the Strait of Hormuz and safely exit the Gulf region. Captain Md. Shafiqul Islam told BBC Bangla on Wednesday, May 6, “We are stuck in a place you can think of as a pond. There is only one way out for us, and that is the Strait of Hormuz. We don’t know when we will be able to get out of here.”
Ship officials said at least 2,273 vessels owned by various international companies are currently waiting to exit the Strait of Hormuz, including ships flagged by the United Kingdom and Israel, among others. The government said it has contacted Iran through diplomatic channels several times to secure the release of the stranded Bangladeshi ship.
Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek told BBC Bangla, “When talks with Iran had reached a stage where the Bangladeshi ship was about to be brought out, the conflict situation flared up again. That has created uncertainty.”
On Wednesday, the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened once threats from “aggressors” cease.
The Bangladeshi commercial vessel MV Bangla Joyatra entered Middle Eastern waters on Jan. 26. After the Iran war began, the ship attempted several times to exit through the Strait of Hormuz but could not. It has since been moving through various waters in the Middle East.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report