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MV Abdullah owner for peaceful rescue of seamen

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CHATTOGRAM, Mar 18: Law enforcers from various corners were reportedly trying to take action against the Somalian pirates to rescue the abducted seamen of Bangladeshi flag carrier-ship MV Abdullah.

However, SR Shipping, a concern of KSRM Group and the owner of the MV Abdullah, was trying to contact the pirates for a peaceful solution.

Meherul Karim, chief executive officer (CEO) of KSRM Group and chief of the SR Shipping, told the FE that they have been trying to contact the pirates and begging help from the international organizations since the ship was hijacked.

"We have been able to contact the pirates and they informed us that all the abducted seamen were well in the ship," he added.

"We hope that we can reach a peaceful solution without any armed operation. We don't want any casualties. So, we are trying to negotiate the matter peacefully," said Mr. Karim. "I hope we would be able to solve the matter as we could contact the pirates."

Meanwhile, family members of the ill-fated seamen have been passing their days amid anxieties as assurances by the authorities concerned failed to keep them calm.

bdnews24.com report adds: Somali police and international

navies were preparing on Monday to attack a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates last week, the Puntland region's police force said, two days after Indian commandos rescued another cargo vessel held by pirates.

The MV Abdullah was hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week, the latest of more than 20 attacks since November by Somali pirates who had laid dormant for nearly a decade.

On Saturday, the Indian navy rescued another cargo vessel, the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen, which had been seized in December, freeing its 17 crew members and arresting 35 pirates.

The police force from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, a base for many pirate gangs, said it was on high alert and prepared to participate in an operation against the pirates holding the MV Abdullah.

"Puntland police forces are ready after they got reports that international navies are planning an attack," the police said in a statement.

India's navy, which has disrupted several other attempted hijackings, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Sunday, the Puntland police said they had seized a vehicle that was transporting the narcotic khat to be supplied to the pirates on board Abdullah.

At the peak of their attacks in 2011, Somali pirates cost the global economy an estimated $7 billion, including hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.

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