DHAKA, March 13, 2024 (BSS) - State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury today said the foreign ministry in association with international communities is trying to rescue Bangladeshi hijacked vessel and its crew members.

Talking to journalists at his secretariat office, he said cooperation has also been sought from Bangladesh Navy to rescue the cargo vessel which has been hijacked with 23 crew members in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.

"Our priority is to bring back the 23 crew members safely. So far, we came to know that the crews are in good health and safe," he said.

Asked whether Bangladesh will seek assistance from India, the state minister said they already talked to Indian authorities concerned in this regard.
He said they did not get any official information of threatening the crews for death for ransom.

“We were taking appropriate steps to safely bring back the crew members of the hijacked Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, but it was not possible to say when that could be done,” he said.

It is not possible to give a timeframe for the crew's rescue, he said, adding that there are some organisations who can contact the pirates.

“At any cost, we are bound to rescue the crew and ship," he said.
Khalid said the ship is 600 nautical miles off the Somalia coast but it is not clear yet who the pirates are.