Bangladesh To Rescue Crew Members Of Ship MV Abdullah Hijacked By Somali Pirates

The foreign ministry’s acting secretary has reported that the 23 mariners in the MV Abdullah vessel that the Somali pirates hijacked are in stable health—Rear Adm. (retired) Md. Khurshed Alam informed the journalists that almost 60 pirates were in the hijacked vessel.

He also briefed the journalists following an inter-ministerial meeting with the foreign ministry on Thursday regarding the freeing of the hostages at the ministry. The acting secretary chaired the inter-ministerial meeting.

The main aim is to free the vessel and its crew. They would not deviate from their target, he informed the journalists. Khurshed Alam briefed the journalists on the experience of successfully freeing Bangladeshi crew members from a hijacked Bangladeshi vessel named the Jahan Moni and the Malaysian-owned “Albedo” in the past.

Khurshed Alam stated that any ransom-related report would be incorrect when asked if the pirates had demanded a ransom. They haven’t demanded ransom from us yet and have yet to communicate about it.

He stated that the vessel was not on an unsafe route. The pirates took over the vessel and anchored close to Somalia this morning. The pirates haven’t gotten in touch yet. We have gathered from various sources that almost 60 pirates are on the vessel, and the 23 crew members of Bangladesh are safe. He added that they have the experience of dealing with such a scenario as a vessel dubbed Jahan Moni got hijacked in 2010.

They brought back the vessel successfully along with the sailors. The acting secretary further noted that Bangladeshi crew members were rescued from the hijacked Malaysian-owned “Al Bedo” vessel by Kenya’s Army.

Regarding the government’s initiative, he stated that they have been trying. The foreign ministry is in regular contact with the state minister of shipping, the director-general of the shipping department, and the vessel’s owners.

They are, however, yet to be aware of the demands of the pirates. Even if they do, they will not manage to disclose the matter entirely to the media owing to strategic reasons. He also stated that preparations had begun based on the experiences of “Jahan Moni” and “Al-Bedo”. This is going to require time, he said.

Reference: en.prothomalo

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Source: Maritime Shipping News