Hijacked Bangladeshi ship anchors near Somali port

The Bangladeshi-flagged hijacked cargo ship, with 23 crew, has anchored approximately 20 miles off the coast of the Somalian port of Garacad, reported the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers‍‍` Association (BMMOA) this afternoon.

According to Md Shakawat Hossain, General Secretary of BMMOA, the ship‍‍`s current position was verified by a global shipping source monitoring its movements around 1:00pm.

The vessel is a property of SR Shipping Limited, a sister concern of KSRM. Company’s  Adviser Mizanul Islam confirmed the news.

Mizanul stated that there has been no communication from the pirates to the ship owners thus far. He expressed uncertainty regarding the timeline for any potential communication, suggesting it could take several days before receiving a response.

Earlier today, at around 6:00am, the ship was approximately 72 nautical miles away from the Somalian port of Garacad, steadily advancing towards the coast.

In response to the crisis, an inter-ministerial meeting has been scheduled at the conference room of the foreign ministry in Dhaka this morning. The primary agenda of the meeting is to strategize and coordinate efforts for the safe rescue of MV Abdullah and its 23 crew members. 

A letter signed by Md Iftekhar Rahman, senior assistant secretary (Africa), outlined the meeting‍‍`s objectives, emphasizing the priority of ensuring the crew‍‍`s safety and devising strategies for the ship‍‍`s safe return.

Acting Foreign Secretary Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam is set to preside over the meeting, according to the letter.