17 Banglar Joyjatra sailors return home after 115-day ordeal near Strait of Hormuz

Highlights:

• Seventeen Banglar Joyjatra crew members returning after 115-day ordeal
• BSC replaces exhausted sailors before vessel resumes voyage
• Ship expected to sail from Durban to Malaysia next

Seventeen crew members of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel MV Banglar Joyjatra, who spent nearly four months stranded near the Strait of Hormuz due to regional tensions in the Middle East, are returning to Bangladesh after being relieved from duty.

The sailors departed Durban, South Africa, on an Emirates flight on Monday (20 July) night and are scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 5:20pm today (21 July) via Dubai.

BSC General Manager (Ship Personnel Department) Captain Ziaur Rahman told The Business Standard that the decision to repatriate the 17 crew members was taken on a priority basis, considering the length of their service and their physical and psychological condition after the prolonged ordeal.

"A seafarer's normal maximum tenure on board is around 11 months. Among the 31 crew members on the vessel, those who had completed or were close to completing that period, and who were physically exhausted or mentally traumatised after being stranded for 115 days, were selected to return home," he said.

According to BSC, the relieved personnel include the vessel's master, chief officers, engineers, cadets and ratings.

The corporation has already deployed 17 replacement crew members to Durban, where they have boarded the vessel and taken over operational responsibilities.

Captain Ziaur said Banglar Joyjatra is expected to depart Durban within the next few days after loading its next cargo, with Malaysia likely to be its next destination.

"If the vessel calls at a Malaysian port, we are also considering rotating more crew members and bringing them back to Bangladesh," he added.

Stranded for nearly four months

Banglar Joyjatra remained stranded in the Gulf region for about 115 days after heightened security risks around the Strait of Hormuz disrupted commercial shipping.

The Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier finally crossed the strategic waterway on 23 June and sailed to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates for bunkering and hull-cleaning operations before continuing its voyage to Durban.

Built in 2018, the vessel has a deadweight capacity of 38,894 tonnes and carries a crew of 31 Bangladeshi seafarers.

According to BSC, the ship entered Middle Eastern waters on 26 January under a Singapore-based charter. It first transported 39,000 tonnes of steel coils from Qatar's Mesaieed Port to Jebel Ali Port in the UAE before loading around 37,000 tonnes of fertiliser at Saudi Arabia's Ras Al Khair Port for delivery to Cape Town and Durban.

Although the vessel remained on charter throughout the period and did not lose charter income, escalating regional tensions prevented it from transiting the Strait of Hormuz after permission to pass through the waterway was denied in April.

After months of waiting, the vessel was finally cleared to resume its voyage, allowing it to leave the Gulf and continue its scheduled operations.