We Hope To Bring Back Hostage Sailors This Month: Khalid Mahmud

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has expressed hope that 23 sailors of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, held hostage by Somali pirates, will be rescued and brought back to the country within this month.

He said the situation is under control. Hopefully, we can bring them back within this month.

The state minister said this while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

On March 12, pirates hijacked the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah in the Indian Ocean, 600 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia. At least 100 pirates took control of the ship around 12pm Bangladesh time. Currently, 23 sailors are being held hostage in the cabin of the MV Abdullah.

DG Commodore Mohammad Maqsud Alam of the Department of Shipping said that the hostage sailors of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah have been contacted. They also spoke to their families. They are fine and healthy.

The ship was sailing from Maputo in Mozambique to Al Hamriyah in the UAE with 58,000 tonnes of coal.