“On the first day, last Saturday, a bomb exploded in an oil depot very close to our ship. In panic, we all ran to the ship’s safe room. Since then, we have been hearing explosions in the distance almost every day. We have been seeing waves of drone and missile attacks in the sky. Our days are spent in constant fear and vigilance over possible bomb explosions.”
MD Shafiqul Islam Khan, master of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation ship MV Banglar Joyjatra, described his wartime experience off Jebel Ali Port in the UAE this way.
He spoke to Prothom Alo via WhatsApp on Wednesday afternoon.
The ship arrived at Jebel Ali port last Saturday, a day before the joint strike by the United States and Israel against Iran. There are 31 Bangladeshi sailors on board the ship. After the conflict began, cargo unloading was temporarily suspended, although operations resumed last Monday.