All crew aboard hijacked ship are in good health: Foreign Ministry
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All 23 Bangladesh crew aboard the hijacked Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, anchored near the Somali coast on Thursday morning, are in good health, Foreign Ministry’s Maritime Affairs Unit Secretary Rear Admiral (Retd) Khurshed Alam said on Thursday.
“Our prime target is to get them back safe and sound, and we won’t deviate from this goal”, he told newsmen at the foreign ministry.
The vessel MV Abdullah, carrying a cargo of 55,000 tonnes of coal, was hijacked by Somali pirates on Tuesday.
Mr Alam mentioned that the crew of MV Jahan Mini, another ship previously hijacked by Somali pirates, had been safely brought back home.
‘Before that, seven Bangladeshi crew were brought back home from a hijacked Malaysian ship named Al Bedo’, he added.
Responding to a question, he said that the hijackers had yet to contact Bangladeshi authorities for ransom.
“So, if any media has reported anything about any contact between pirates and us, that is fictitious," he said.
The foreign secretary (maritime) also noted that MV Abdullah was not traversing any risky routes, as it was following a normal route.
Information from various sources indicates that there are 60 pirates aboard the hijacked ship, he added.
It took 100 days to secure the release of the crew of MV Jahan Moni, hijacked in 2010, Mr Alam said, adding that seven Bangladeshi crew were rescued from ALBedo after three years and four months of the hijacking.
“At that time, we were constantly engaged and finally managed to bring back our Bangladeshi crew with the assistance of the Kenyan army," he said.
The foreign secretary (maritime) revealed that they were yet to know about the demand of the pirates and were in close contact with the owner of the hijacked ship and with the shipping ministry.
He hoped that the crew would be brought back home safely.
Based on the country's previous experience of securing the release of the hijacked ship crew, he cautioned that it would take time.