Bangladesh captain says crew trapped in Gulf 115 days

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, a Bangladeshi captain, says he and his crew spent 115 days stranded in the Gulf as war disrupted shipping around the Strait of Hormuz.

Islam, 51, told AFP after returning home to Cumilla that he was commanding the bulk carrier Banglar Joyjatra, with 31 lives aboard, a ship he valued at $40 million and cargo valued at $8.2 million. The vessel had loaded 39,000 tonnes of steel coils at Mesaieed Port in Qatar and reached the outer port limits of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates on February 26.

AFP reported that the ship was in the area during a war that followed United States and Israeli attacks on Iran in February, with commercial shipping in the Gulf repeatedly targeted in Iranian attacks. Islam said the crew saw a missile hit an oil storage facility about 200 metres away in the early hours of February 28 and later heard more explosions as the ship's navigation system stopped working.

Islam said he rationed food and fresh water as supplies ran low and some young sailors appeared traumatised. After the vessel unloaded its cargo, it was repeatedly denied permission to proceed through the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, AFP reported.

After a ceasefire was announced in April, Islam tried again but was turned away, AFP reported. The Banglar Joyjatra received permission to cross Hormuz on June 23. Islam said the crew relaxed only after clearing the waterway and that he plans to keep sailing despite his family's worries.