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The Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Abdullah, hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean, has reached the coast of Somalia.
A ship from European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), engaged in combating piracy off the coast of East Africa, is tracking the hijacked vessel, the maritime security force said in a statement
On March 12, Somali pirates seized control of the MV Abdullah and took 23 sailors on board hostage.
According to reports, the British military was the first to learn about the hijacking that took place 1,100 km away from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Tuesday.
The vessel was transporting coal from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates at the time. The cargo ship is operated by SR Shipping, a unit of Kabir Group, reports bdnews24.com.
The sailors also contacted SR Shipping authorities and relatives back home while being held hostage by the pirates. They said the pirates had threatened to kill them unless a ransom was paid.
However, Bangladesh has not been able to establish contact with the pirates so far. Consequently, efforts are being made to rescue them through a 'second party', said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud.
“We have reported the incident to the [IMB Piracy Reporting Centre] in Kuala Lumpur, the [Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region] in New Delhi, and all aerial naval ships, including those of Singapore, USA, UK, and China. We are trying other methods to communicate with them as well.”
In addition to shadowing the MV Abdullah, the EUNAVFOR said it was in contact with the governments of Somalia and Bangladesh, and partners such as the Indian Navy to coordinate "the most efficient action".
However, the statement didn't detail the nature of the steps to be taken.
In another post on the social media site X, EUNAVFOR said it would move its warships and aircraft to the "Area of Operations" to bolster maritime security.
On Thursday, the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association said that after seizing control of the MV Abdullah, the pirates began steering the ship towards Somalia.
They learned through satellite imagery that the ship had dropped anchor 20 miles off the coast of Garakad.
Later, Mizanul Islam, a spokesman for Kabir Group, the parent of SR Shipping Line, said the vessel reached the Somali coast around 1:00 pm Bangladesh time.
Mizanul also confirmed that a EUNAVFOR ship was trailing the MV Abdullah. However, he could not confirm reports of gunshots being heard around the ship on Wednesday night.