Somalian pirates have released a hijacked ship MV Abdullah after receiving a ransom amount of $5 million according to the pirates. Speaking to Reuters, Abdirashiid Yusuf, one of the pirates said. “The money was brought to us two nights ago as usual… we checked whether the money was fake or not. Then we divided the money into groups and left, avoiding the government forces.”
The MV Abdullah, a Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier – a type of merchant ship used to transport large amounts of cargo – was hijacked in March as it was heading from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates. It was seized about 600 nautical miles east of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Negotiations for the ship’s release were led by Meherul Karim, CEO of the ship’s owners KSRM. Karim refused to disclose the amount of ransom money that had been paid.
Somali piracy had surged during 2025-12, and strong anti-piracy measures had ensured that piracy incidents had reduced to a handful by 2023. However, maritime experts say that the focus on the Houthis in the Red Sea by much of the world’s major shipping powers has meant that the Horn of Africa has not been monitored as tightly as before.
According to EUNavforAtalanta, an EU naval force responsible for maritime security across the East African coast, at least 14 vessels had been hijacked off the Somali coast from November last year to February this year. What has made matters easier for them is that ships have been forced to divert from Red Sea, due to the Houthi attacks, to sail around the Cape of Good Hope. Not only has this made them a target for pirates, but also pushed up freight costs and increased travel time by at least 10-14 days.
India had recently captured the MV Ruen when an Indian warship INS Kolkata intercepted the Maltese-flagged ship in March this year, which was seized by Somali pirates 380 nautical miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra last December. The ship and its 17-member crew were then taken to Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland. According to the Maritime Union of India (MUI) maritime piracy is of particular concern to India. This is because “the menace of maritime piracy is a major cause of concern for over two lakh Indian seafarers, as India now provides around 9.35 per cent of the global seafarers and ranks third in the list of the largest seafarers supplying nations to the world maritime industry.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
