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DHAKA, March 20, 2024 (BSS) - KSRM authorities, owner of the hijacked Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship MV Abdullah, are taking preparation to start talks with Somali pirates who contacted them for the first time after taking control of the ship with 23 crew members on board on March 12.

"We will start talking with the pirates at our convenient time as they contacted us through a third party this afternoon for the first time," said Mizanul Islam, media advisor of KSRM Group that owns the ship MV Abdullah.

Talking to BSS, he said as the contact has been established, negotiation can be started at any convenient time to rescue the crew members as well as the ship.

"We are hopeful regarding solving the crisis through discussion," he added.

On March 12, the ship was hijacked by armed Somali pirates when it was sailing from Maputo in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah in the UAE with 58,000 tonnes of coal.