Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is actively engaged in government efforts to rescue the crew of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, which was hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday (13 March).
"A formal discussion was held at the Cabinet regarding the hijacking of the Bangladeshi ship. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is actively engaged in this matter," said the minister during a briefing at the Senate of Dhaka University today.
Hasan said the pirates who hijacked the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah with 23 crew members onboard, 500 nautical miles off Somalia, have yet to be contacted.
"Efforts are underway to establish contact with the pirates via third parties. However, whether ransom will be paid for their release will not be disclosed for strategic reasons," said the minister.
MV Abdullah, formerly known as Golden Hawk, was added to the fleet of KSRM Group last year.
It sailed from Maputo in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah in the UAE with 55,000 tonnes of coal and 23 crew members.
Eleven of the 23 crew are from Chattogram, two are from Noakhali, and the rest are from Faridpur, Tangail, Naogaon, Khulna, Netrakona, Laxmipur, Feni, Natore, Sirajganj, and Barishal.