After being stranded in the Persian Gulf for nearly four months due to regional conflict, the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel MV Banglar Joyjatra has successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
The ship safely navigated the strategic waterway early Tuesday, bringing immense relief to the 31 Bangladeshi sailors on board. It is currently en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates for bunkering (refueling), before continuing to its final commercial destination in South Africa. BSC Managing Director, Commodore Mahmudul Malek, confirmed the development to the media.
According to the maritime tracking website VesselFinder, the ship was seen moving past Hengam Island—situated between Iran's Qeshm Island and Oman's Khasab—on Monday evening. By 10:10 PM Bangladesh time, the vessel had cleared the Hengam section, traveling at a speed of 7.1 knots, and proceeded toward the Gulf of Oman.
The state-owned Banglar Joyjatra, currently chartered by a Singapore-based company, originally docked at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port on February 27. The following day, escalating military hostilities involving the US, Israel, and Iran led to a strict blockade of the strait.
Since then, the vessel had remained trapped in the Persian Gulf. Despite several previous attempts to cross, it was repeatedly ordered to turn back due to navigation restrictions.
Following a recent diplomatic agreement to ease regional hostilities, the ship repositioned within 80 nautical miles of the Strait of Hormuz last Thursday. After receiving official transit clearance from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the vessel finally secured its safe passage out of the conflict zone.
