Significant progress made, hijacked MV Abdullah and crew will be freed very soon: Hasan

Hijacked Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Abdullah and its 23 crew are expected to be freed from the captivity of Somali pirates, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said today (13 April).

"You will hear good news very soon. All I can say is that the sailors will be freed very soon. We will be able to free the ship as well. Significant progress has already been made [to this end]," Hasan said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of 'Chatgaiyan Eid Ananda Utshab' at Laldighi Chattar in Chattogram city.

However, the minister did not provide any other details regarding the rescue of the sailors or the cargo ship.

On 12 March, the Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Abdullah, carrying 55,000 tonnes of coal from Mozambique to Dubai, was captured by pirates, along with 23 sailors. The ship is now anchored off the coast of Gedoberjan in Somalia.

Meanwhile, responding to a recent comment by BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury,  the foreign minister said the BNP is more dangerous than Somali pirates.

"The Somali pirates didn't torture any of the Bangladeshi sailors or burn people to death as BNP does.

"The BNP can become more dangerous than the Somali pirates under the leadership of those like Amir Khasru.

Hasan made the remarks referring to Amir Khasru's recent criticism of the ruling Awami League where he said, "The Bangladeshi pirates are more dangerous than the Somali pirates."

Also responding to BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's statement that the country's people are suffering and cannot celebrate Eid well, Hasan said Fakhrul has no peace in his mind so he is making such comments.

The country's people celebrated this Eid with great joy and festivity, he said.