Seventeen Bangladeshi sailors of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel Bangla Joyjatra, who endured a 115-day ordeal after the ship became stranded near the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran-Israel-US conflict, have returned home.
The sailors departed Durban, South Africa, on an Emirates flight on Monday night and arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka via Dubai at around 5:20 pm on Tuesday.
Confirming their arrival, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek told TIMES of Bangladesh that all 17 crew members had safely reached the country.
BSC General Manager (Ship Personnel Division) Captain Ziaur Rahman said the decision to repatriate the sailors on a priority basis was taken considering the prolonged hardship they had faced and their physical and mental condition after months of service.
He explained that seafarers generally remain on board for a maximum of about 11 months. The returning crew members were among those who had either completed or were close to completing their service period and had become physically exhausted and mentally distressed after remaining stranded for nearly four months.
According to BSC, the group includes the ship’s master, chief officer, engineers, cadets and ratings.
To ensure uninterrupted operation of the vessel, 17 replacement sailors have already travelled to Durban, boarded the ship and taken over their duties.
Captain Ziaur Rahman said Bangla Joyjatra is expected to leave Durban within the next few days after loading its next cargo. The vessel’s likely next destination is Malaysia. If it calls at a Malaysian port, BSC will consider rotating additional crew members and bringing more sailors back to Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi-flagged bulk carrier remained stranded in the Persian Gulf for about 115 days as heightened security risks around the Strait of Hormuz prevented it from proceeding on its voyage.
The vessel finally crossed the strategically important waterway on June 23 and reached Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. After refuelling and undergoing hull cleaning, it resumed its voyage to Durban.
Built in 2018, Bangla Joyjatra has a deadweight capacity of 38,894 tonnes and is operated by a crew of 31 Bangladeshi sailors.
According to BSC, the vessel entered Middle Eastern waters on January 26 under a Singapore-based charter. It first transported 39,000 tonnes of steel coils from Mesaieed Port in Qatar to Jebel Ali Port in the UAE before carrying around 37,000 tonnes of fertiliser from Ras Al Khair Port in Saudi Arabia to Cape Town and Durban in South Africa.
