A Bangladesh ship with 29 crew, all Bangladeshi nationals, has been stuck at port of Olvia in Ukraine amid Russian attack on the country.
The goods-laden ship ‘Banglar Samriddhi’, owned by state-run Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, anchored at the port before the Russian invasion began on February 24,Omor Faruque Tuhin, a crew of the ship told the UNB over phone on Sunday noon.
Read:Ukraine crisis: No direct impact on Rooppur, other projects, says FS
According to information provided on the website of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, the ship has remained anchored in Ukraine since February 22.
The vessel Banglar Samriddhi is a bulk carrier built in 2018 and currently sailing under the flag of Bangladesh.
He said all operations at the Olvia port were closed immediately after the attack and all the crews remained stuck inside the ship as panic gripped them.
“Panic has gripped us as we keep hearing sounds of explosions and firing from far but fortunately the port didn’t come under any large attack yet. We can’t move anywhere with the ship as there can be mines planted in the sea,” said Tuhin.
In a separate development about 200 Bangladesh citizens fleeing war-torn Ukraine have so far entered Poland and Romania, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Saturday night.
“We’re in touch with about 700 Bangladesh citizens,” he told UNB.
The government’s efforts are going on to help Bangladesh nationals get into Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova, all bordering Ukraine, said officials.
A team from the Embassy of Bangladesh in Warsaw is working near the Poland-Ukraine border to assist Bangladeshi citizens wishing to enter Poland. The two countries share an over 500 km long border.
Read:Around 200 Bangladesh citizens reach Poland, Romania from Ukraine: Shahriar
Earlier, Bangladesh asked its nationals stranded in Ukraine to contact the country's diplomatic missions in the neighbouring European countries while Poland and Romania came forward to provide temporary shelters for Bangladeshis.
Nearly 120,000 people have so far fled Ukraine for Poland and other neighboring countries in the wake of Russian invasion, reports AP quoting the U.N. refugee agency on Saturday.