The Bangladesh-flagged ship MV Abdullah, seized by pirates on Tuesday in the Indian Ocean with 23 crew members onboard, has anchored around 20 nautical miles off the port of Garacad in Somalia, according to update obtained from the International Maritime Bureau.
"The hijacked ship has anchored off the Somalia coast. However, the pirates have not made any contact with either the ship owner or the government of Bangladesh," Engineer Mohammad Shakhawat Hossain, assistant general secretary at Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers' Association (BMMOA) confirmed the news around 1 pm on Thursday (14 March).
He said it is expected to take 2-3 days or more to receive a response from the pirates.
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. KSRM Group’s media advisor, Mizanul Islam, confirmed the audio message.