Government, ship owners refuse EU, Indian Navy's offer to rescue MV Abdullah

DHAKA, Bangladesh - The European Union (EU) and the Indian Navy offered the Bangladesh government and the ship's owner the opportunity to operate aboard the seized ship MV Abdullah.

However, both the government and the ship owner outrightly rejected the proposal.

There has been no final agreement with the pirates to return the MV Abdullah, which is being held by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, with 23 crew aboard.

However, the pirates maintain regular contact with the ship's owner. Ransom discussions are underway, but the owners have not provided information regarding the amount demanded for the ransom.

Captain Sakhawat Hossain, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association, stated, "all sailors on the ship are in good health." Several seamen from the ship also called the family on Thursday. We are in continuous contact with the ship owner about seamen."

The skipper of the seagoing commercial ship, Atiq U A Khan, stated that the ship was in its previous position. Pirates moored within one and a half nautical miles from the beach.

The European Union and the Indian Navy have escalated the pressure on pirates to rescue the MV Abdullah. Foreign agencies cannot conduct operations on Bangladeshi ships without the approval of the Bangladeshi government, he said.

The ship's owners are trying to rescue the MV Abdullah carrying 23 sailors.

On Wednesday, the Arabic and Somali-speaking pirates made their first contact with the vessel's owners through a hired English-speaking person after nine days.

Mizanul Islam, KSRM Group's communications adviser, stated: "The pirates contacted us this afternoon, but they did not demand anything."

"We have discussed the crew and the ship in general. The space for conversation has now been created. We hope that a solution may be reached. They notified us that the entire crew was safe and sound. They won't be tortured. "They (pirates) will contact us again," he continued.

On March 12, a group of Somali pirates seized the Bangladeshi cargo tanker while it was transporting coal from Mozambique's Maputo port to the UAE's Al Hamriyah Port.

The MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines, a sister firm of Chattogram's Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group.