‘Banglar Joyjatra’ in uncertainty over Hormuz crossing amid ceasefire

Banglar Joyjatra, a Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) ship, is returning to Sharjah after it was not allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite a ceasefire in the Middle East, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek told reporters today (April 10).

The ship, which had been stuck for 40 days, left Ras Al Khair port in Saudi Arabia at 8am Bangladesh time on Wednesday with about 37,000 tons of phosphate fertilizer for Cape Town port in South Africa.

After sailing for about 40 hours on the way, it approached the Iranian government and asked for permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran refused on Friday morning. The ship was instructed to turn around and safely return to Sharjah port in the United Arab Emirates.

Commodore Mahmudul Malek said that permission was sought to cross the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with the instructions given by the Iranian government. However, they refused it. Efforts to obtain permission through diplomatic channels are still ongoing. 'Banglar Jayyatra' is still near Hormuz. Considering the situation, the ship has been instructed to return to Sharjah port for the time being.

Mahmudul Malek said, 'There is sufficient food stock for the 31 sailors on board. The ship can purify 18 tons of seawater per day. However, the engine has to be kept running at full speed for that. Water consumption has been reduced to 6 tons per day through rationing.'

He also said, 'To keep the morale of the sailors strong, we have already increased the daily food allocation from $7 to $12 per person. In addition, a war allowance equivalent to basic is being given.’

According to the BSC, the ‘Banglar Jayyatra’ entered the Persian Gulf on February 2 after carrying goods from India through the Strait of Hormuz. Later, the ship loaded steel coils from a port in Qatar and reached Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates on February 27. The next day, the United States and Israel attacked Iran. In retaliation, Iran attacked various places in the Middle East, and the conflict quickly spread.

The ship was unloaded from Jebel Ali Port on March 11. After that, a new load of goods was scheduled to be loaded at a port in Kuwait. However, due to the ongoing war situation in the Middle East, the BSC decided to safely return the ship from the risky area. But even though the ship started its journey towards the Strait of Hormuz, it was forced to return to Sharjah for security reasons.