Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, the state minister for shipping on Tuesday (April 9) hoped that the 23 crew members of Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah which was hijacked by Somali pirates could be rescued this month.

The minister made the remark while talking to newsmen at his secretariat office in the capital.

“Our main responsibility is to rescue them safely and hand them over to their families after bringing them back to the country. Work is going on in this regard,” he said.

The state minister said, “Although the goal was to bring back the sailors before Eid, but we missed. We hope to bring them back to the country within a few days.”

Efforts are on to solve the problem through the Foreign Ministry but the Department of Shipping is also working, said Khalid.

BDST: 1931 HRS, April 9, 2024
MSK