CHATTOGRAM, March 14, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah which was hijacked by Somali pirates with 23 crews on board anchored at Garakad coast near Hobyo port in Somalia at 2.00 pm on Thursday, said Captain Sakhawat Hossain, General Secretary of Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association.
 
The pirates are yet to contact the owner of the Bangladeshi flagged ship owners of MV Abdullah and they did not ask for ransom, he added.

Mizanul Islam, Media Advisor of KSRM, told journalists that the owner of the ship is contacting with a third party insurance company of the ship to bring back the hostage sailors along with the ship.

Mizanul Islam said the sailors of the ship are in good health.

"All efforts are being made to bring back the hostages. The pirates are yet to make any demand to us so far. After taking the ship to a safe zone they many ask for ransom," Mizanul Islam said.

The pirates took control of the ship on Tuesday. The ship was carrying coal from Mozambique's Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE around noon.

MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines, a sister company of Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group in Chattogram.