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The Somali pirates who hijacked the MV Abdullah have made contact with the vessel's owners.
The contact comes eight days after the ship and its 23 crew members were taken hostage, reports bdnews24.com.
The MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping, a subsidiary of the Kabir Group.
The pirates made contact for the first time through a third party, said Kabir Group spokesman Mizanul Islam.
He claimed the pirates had yet to make a ransom demand, but were mainly establishing contact.
The demand may be made during future discussions, Mizanul added.
The MV Abdullah was hijacked on March 12. The 23 sailors who were on board the ship during the incident are all Bangladeshi.
The ship had set sail for the United Arab Emirates from Mozambique's Maputo port, carrying coal along the Indian Ocean. Once it was hijacked, the vessel reached the coast of Somalia on March 14 under the control of the pirates. Its location has since changed.