‘No ransom demands received, hijackers yet to be identified’

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday said the authorities had not yet received any ransom demands from the pirates responsible for hijacking the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah in the Indian Ocean.

He said the identities of the pirates remain unknown. “The pirates have come from the Somali region, however, we are not sure about the identity of the hijackers.”

The state minister was speaking with the reporters at a press briefing held at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

MV Abdullah, captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, is reportedly being taken to Somalia. As of 11am on Wednesday, the ship was about 275 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.

He said: “Our first priority is to keep the 23 crews of the ship safe and sound. At any cost, we want to bring back our crews alive without any harm.”

Among the 23 crew members, 11 are from Chittagong, two from Noakhali and one each from Natore, Naogaon, Feni, Faridpur, Lakshmipur, Barisal, Netrakona, Sirajganj, Tangail and Khulna.

Mentioning that the government is taking necessary steps to ensure the quick repatriation of the abductees, Khalid Mahmud says the Foreign Ministry, Shipping Ministry, and Bangladesh Navy have been working tirelessly since Tuesday afternoon to make the rescue operation a success.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon.

MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping – a sister company of the Chittagong-based Kabir Steel Re-rolling Mills (KSRM) Ltd. All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam.