BSC ship Banglar Joyyatra returned back to Sharjah as the vessel was denied permission to pass Strait of Hormuz despite Middle East ceasefire, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek told journalists on Friday.
The ship remained stranded in the Middle East for 40 days due to the Iran-USA war.
The vessel was seeking permission from the Iranian government to cross the Strait of Hormuz from Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia route to Cape Town, South Africa with 37,000 tons of phosphate fertilizer, he said.
However, Tehran has denied permission and instructed the ship to return to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, he added.
The ship departed from Ras Al Khair last Wednesday and reached the Strait of Hormuz after 40 hours of sailing.
Malek said permission to cross the Strait of Hormuz was sought in line with Iranian government instructions, but it was rejected. Diplomatic efforts to secure permission are going on, he said adding given the circumstances, the ship has been asked to return to the port of Sharjah temporarily.
Malek assured that there is enough food for the 31 sailors onboard and the ship can purify 18 tons of seawater daily, albeit requiring the engine to run at full speed. Water consumption has been reduced to 6 tons per day through rationing.
He also mentioned that to boost the morale of the sailors, the daily food allocation has been increased from $7 to $12 per person, and a war allowance equivalent to basic pay is being provided.
According to BSC, the ship Banglar Jayyatra entered the Persian Gulf on February 2 after transporting goods from India through the Strait of Hormuz. It then loaded steel coils from a port in Qatar and arrived at Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates on February 27.
On the following day, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes from Iran across the Middle East, escalating the conflict.
The unloading of goods at Jebel Ali Port was completed on March 11, with plans to load new goods at a port in Kuwait. However, due to the escalating war situation in the region, BSC decided to return the ship to a safe place.
Despite starting its journey towards the Strait of Hormuz, the ship had to return to Sharjah for security reasons.
Subsequently, Banglar Jayyatra loaded goods and proceeded to Ras Al Khair Port in Saudi Arabia. The ship was scheduled to depart for Cape Town, South Africa with 37,000 tons of fertilizer from there last Wednesday.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
