Govt hopeful of rescuing hostage sailors quickly: Foreign Minister

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said the government is optimistic about rescuing the sailors of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah held hostage by Somali pirates quickly.

He said, “Last time, when MV Jahan Moni was hijacked in 2010, it took 100 days to free them. Now we are trying to free them as soon as possible. We are trying to rescue the sailors in such a way so that the ship or the sailors are not harmed,”

He said while talking to journalists after a meeting regarding the implementation of development activities of the government in Chattogram district at Chattogram Circuit House on Saturday (March 23).

In reply to a query over what role the government is playing in rescuing the hostages, Mahmud said, “There is coal in the ship which is a flammable substance. So, nothing can be done which may ignite the combustible material, causing damage to the ship. That's how we are proceeding.”

He said, "Those who hijacked the ship have already contacted the owner of the ship. Various international organizations are also cooperating with us in this regard, and if you talk to the families of the sailors, you will know that they are also very confident. Hopefully, we will be able to rescue the sailors soon.”

On March 12, Somali pirates took control of the MV Abdullah on the Indian Ocean while it was on its way to a port of the United Arab Emirates carrying coal from Mozambique. All 23 sailors and crew of the ship are Bangladeshis.

The ship is anchored off the Somali coast of Puntland after changing position several times.

The owner of the ship said on Wednesday afternoon that they have been contacted by a third party for the first time. Last Friday, the pirates allowed the sailors to talk to family members in Bangladesh via satellite phone.

Earlier, news agency Reuters reported that Somalia's Puntland police and the international navy are preparing for an operation to free the MV Abdullah and the hostage sailors from pirates.

BBC Somalia reported on Friday, citing the commander of the police department of Nugal region in Somalia's Puntland, that they have launched an operation aimed at cutting off land communications with pirates who hijacked the MV Abdullah at sea.

The EUNAVFOR Atlanta operation reported the deployment of a warship near the Bangladeshi-flagged vessel MV Abdullah late on Thursday.