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Seventeen Bangladeshi sailors of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel MV Banglar Joyjatra returned home on Tuesday after spending nearly four months stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to heightened regional tensions following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The sailors arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 5:42pm aboard an Emirates flight from Durban, South Africa, via Dubai. The remaining 14 crew members are expected to return home later via Malaysia.
BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek confirmed the development to local media, saying the sailors had departed Durban on Monday night and reached Dhaka on Tuesday before heading to their respective homes.
According to BSC, those who returned include the ship’s master, chief officer, engineers, cadets and ratings. A fresh batch of 17 sailors has already been flown to Durban to take over duties aboard the vessel.
BSC General Manager (Ship Personnel Division) Captain Ziaur Rahman said MV Banglar Joyjatra is expected to leave Durban within the next few days after completing cargo operations, with Malaysia likely to be its next destination. The remaining 14 sailors will return to Bangladesh from there.
He said the first group of sailors was repatriated on a priority basis considering the physical and mental strain they endured after serving continuously under difficult conditions.
The Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier remained stranded in the Persian Gulf region for around 115 days after security risks escalated around the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The vessel had arrived at Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates on 27 February, carrying 38,800 tonnes of steel coils from Mesaieed Port in Qatar. However, the conflict and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz left the ship and its crew unable to continue their voyage.
On 23 June, the vessel successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and sailed to Fujairah Port in the UAE, where it refuelled and underwent hull cleaning before proceeding to Durban in South Africa.
According to BSC, MV Banglar Joyjatra, a 39,000-deadweight-ton bulk carrier, joined the corporation’s fleet in 2018. The vessel was built by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) and was procured under a joint financing arrangement with the Chinese government.