Owner of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah that was hijacked by Somali pirates on March 12, does not support armed operation to free the ship and its crew. Mizanul Islam, media adviser of the owner KSRM Group, said that they are not in favour of any armed operation, considering the safety of the sailors. Rather, they are in favour of accepting conditions to rescue the crew, he said. The information that the European Union and the Indian Navy are preparing to free MV Abdullah is not correct, the media adviser informed. Replying to a question from UNB’s Chattogram correspondent, Mizanul said that the Somali pirates who hijacked the ship have already contacted them, though they are yet to demand any ransom. Read more: All crew members are safe on the hijacked vessel: KSRM Group’s media consultant “We hope to rescue the ship, free 23 sailors, and bring them back home through discussions. We are working on that end. In this case, the company is trying to utilise its previous experience,” he informed. He said family members of the crew members are in touch with them. Commodore Mohammad Maksud Alam, director general (DG) of Department of Shipping, said that no one can conduct an operation on the hijacked ship without permission from Bangladesh. Discussions are underway to free the ship and crew from the pirates and it will take some time, the DG said. Read more: ‘If money is not given, they will kill us’: Audio message of hijacked ship’s chief officer He also informed that the presence of the EU navy’s ship won’t impact the discussion. On March 12, a group of Somali pirates seized control of the Bangladesh-flagged cargo vessel when it was carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE. MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines, a sister concern of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group. On March 20, the pirates made the first contact with the owner of the vessel. Read more: ‘Indian Ocean is named after us; if we don't take action, who will?’: Indian Navy Chief

MV Abdullah, a Bangladeshi cargo vessel, that was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates was around 150 nautical miles off the Somalian coast till Wednesday (March 13, 2024) evening. “And the ship will reach the Somalia anchorage by tomorrow morning,” Mizanul Islam, media consultant of KSRM Group, told UNB. ‘If money is not given, they will kill us’: Audio message of hijacked ship’s chief officer “All the crew members are safe and sound now on the hijacked vessel,” he added. On Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon. Please pray, says hijacked ship Abdullah's chief engineer to his family MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group. All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam. Govt in touch with international bodies to rescue hijacked Bangladeshi ship, its crew: FM

Mina Azmin, wife of Mohammad Atique Ullah Khan, chief officer of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah that was hijacked by Somali pirates, had to be admitted to a hospital after fainting repeatedly. Atique sent an audio message to his wife around iftar time on Tuesday (March 12, 2024). Atique’s audio message said, “They are taking our mobile phones away. The bottom line is, if the money is not given, they will kill us one by one. The sooner the money is given, the sooner they will let us go. Please, get this message out.” Atique is from Chandanaish upazila of Chattogram. He lives in the Nandan Kanan area of the port city with his mother, wife and three daughters. His elderly mother Shahnoor Begum and children broke down in tears when this correspondent went to their home last night. Shahnoor Begum was crying and hugging a framed picture of Atique. Govt in touch with international bodies to rescue hijacked Bangladeshi ship, its crew: FM "A day feels like a year! I was told that we’ll have to wait a few months to get our son back. How will I live with this sorrow?" — Shahnoor Begum wailed. With her son held hostage by Somali pirates and daughter-in-law unwell, Shahnoor Begum was visibly worried. She said, "In his last voice message, my son told my daughter-in-law, ‘If they don't give the money, they will kill us.' She has been ill ever since she got that message. “She is expecting. After losing consciousness several times on Tuesday night, we took her to a private hospital. After treatment, we brought her home. She is still ill! “My son Atique took the responsibility of the whole family. He has been working on the ship since 2007. Now he is in terrible danger! I don't know how my son is, if he has food to eat. “We were sitting down to have Iftar on the first day of Ramadan. I just put a date in my mouth; at that time the phone rang. My son said that Somali pirates had attacked their ship. The ship is now under their control.” Please pray, says hijacked ship Abdullah's chief engineer to his family

Eleven out of the 23 crew members of a Bangladeshi cargo vessel, MV Abdullah, that was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, are residents of Chattogram. 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 Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group. All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam. Bangladesh cargo vessel hijacked by Somali pirates in Indian Ocean The crew members are: Captain Mohammad Abdur Rashid, Chief Officer Mohammad Atikullah Khan, Second Officer Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, Third Officer Tarequl Islam, Deck Cadet Sabbir Hossain, Chief Engineer ASM Saiduzzaman, Second Officer Toufiqul Islam, Third Engineer Rokon Uddin, Fourth Engineer Tanvir Ahmed, Engine Cadet Ayub Khan, electrician Ibrahim Khalil, seaman Md Anwarul Haque, seaman Md Asifur Rahman, seaman Sazzad Hossain, seaman Joy Mahmud, seaman Nazmul Haque, seaman Ainul Haque, oiler Mohamamd Shamsuddin, Ali Hossain, fireman Mosharraf Hossain Shakil, chief cook Shafiqul Islam, general steward Nur Uddin, and fitter Saleh Ahmed. KSRM owns 23 ships – all operating on international routes. In 2010, one of the ships, ‘MV Zahan Moni’, was hijacked and was later released by Somali pirates after providing ransom. Read more: 11 crew swim ashore as water enters coal-laden cargo vessel in Pashur River