After being held hostage for over two weeks by the Arakan Army, a cargo ship en route to Teknaf Land Port in Cox's Bazar has finally been released.
The cargo ship docked at Teknaf Land Port at approximately 12:45 pm on Saturday (February 1).
Two other cargo ships previously detained by the Arakan Army were also released earlier on January 20 and reached Teknaf.
Confirming the matter, Syed Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Manager of United Land Port at Teknaf, stated, "Previously, two cargo ships had been freed from the custody of the Arakan Army, unloaded their goods, and returned to Yangon. Now, after 16 days, the last detained ship has also been released and is currently anchored at the dock. Once the necessary procedures are completed, the cargo will be unloaded."
The incident dates back to January 16 and 17, when four cargo ships departing from Yangon, Myanmar, for Teknaf Land Port, were intercepted and held hostage by the Arakan Army near the Naf River estuary under the pretence of inspections. These vessels carried a total of 50,000 sacks of dried fish, betel nuts, coffee, and other goods. On January 19 and 20, three of the detained ships were released, carrying 27,722 sacks of goods. An earlier vessel had transported 1,000 CFT of timber.
According to local port traders, several business owners resumed cargo shipments from Yangon to Teknaf Land Port on January 16 after a hiatus of one and a half months. However, at noon on January 18, three cargo ships carrying over 50,000 sacks of pickles, dried fish, betel nuts, and coffee were intercepted by the Arakan Army in Myanmar’s territorial waters near the Naf River estuary, in an area called Nakshangdiya. The detained goods belonged to several traders, including Shawkat Ali, Omar Faruk, Md. Ayas, M.A. Hashem, Md. Omar Wahid, and Abdur Shukkur Saddam.
Most recently, on Monday morning, two cargo ships, Satru and MB Harikyu Lesh, were released and returned to Teknaf, leaving one vessel still under the custody of the Arakan Army. This final ship, carrying more than 30,000 sacks of goods, was finally released on Saturday.
Ehteshamul Haque Bahadur, the general secretary of the Teknaf Land Port C&F Agent Association and a businessman, expressed relief over the release: "After 16 days, the Arakan Army has finally freed the detained cargo ship. Its arrival at the dock has brought immense relief to the traders."
