Bangladeshi ship stuck in Hormuz: Iranian army stopped MV Banglar Joyjatra, 31 crew members’ breathing stopped

Iran Blocks Bangladeshi Ship MV Banglar Joyjatra: The tension in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important maritime trade route, is not showing signs of abating. In the latest development, Bangladesh’s state-owned ‘Bangladesh Shipping Corporation’ (BSC) cargo ship ‘MV Banglar Joyjatra’ Iranian authorities have blocked it from proceeding.

According to the Dhaka Tribune report, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has stopped the ship citing lack of transit approval. The incident comes at a time when Iran had earlier signaled the opening of the route through which many merchant ships have tried to pass through.

Iranian Navy’s strict radio instructions

Iranian Navy has issued a radio directive taking a tough stance in the area. In this order, all ships passing through there have been warned to immediately stop their engines and stop their movement. Iranian authorities have made it clear that no foreign ships will be allowed to transit this route without the written permission of the IRGC. The crew of MV Banglar Joyjatra said the order was issued suddenly in the dark of night, causing chaos among the ships.

What was the ship’s fault?

BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek said that the company had earlier sought permission from Iran but did not receive any response. Since there was no official prohibition and about 40 other commercial ships had started plying that route, Banglar Joyjatra also started following them. The ship was moving towards the Oman Sea at its normal speed, but at around 12:30 in the night, a message from the Iranian Navy and IRGC put brakes on the entire journey.

Journey of 37,000 tons of fertilizer and 31 crew members

There are 31 crew members on board this ship who are currently stranded in the middle of the sea. According to the ship’s Chief Engineer Rashidul Hasan, the ship had loaded about 37,000 tonnes of fertilizer from Ras Al Khair Port in Saudi Arabia. Its destination was Cape Town city of South Africa. Even before this, the ship had tried to cross this route on April 8 and had waited for about 40 hours but even then it was not successful.

Also read:- After one day’s respite, tension increased again in Hormuz, American Apache H-64 helicopters started patrolling.

The series of interruptions continues since February

This journey of MV Banglar Joyjatra has been facing hurdles for a long time. The ship reached Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates on February 27 carrying 38,800 tonnes of steel coils from Mesaieed Port in Qatar. Due to the war-like situation in the area and security reasons, the ship remained at the port for a long time and its unloading process also dragged on till March 11. At present, the ship’s officers and Bangladeshi administration Efforts are being made to contact Iranian authorities so that the 31 crew members and valuable cargo can be safely evacuated.