Abducted Albedo crews alive

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Seven Bangladeshi sailors abducted off the coast of Somalia are alive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

The ministry said that the sailors have now been shifted to a hijacked fishing vessel by the pirates.

The Bangladeshi seamen were being held in a Malaysia-owned cargo vessel, MV Albedo, which sank on July 7.

The ship and its crew had been held to ransom from November 26, 2010, the day the vessel was hijacked while sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Kenya.

Reports say the ship had been sinking for nearly a week before it finally went down.

The ministry got the primary confirmation through the Maritime Piracy and Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) based in London quoting sources in the UN Office in Somalia, Nairobi.

The ministry said in a media release that their attention had been drawn by media reports.

They learnt that the seven Bangladesh nationals were on board before the ship sank along with the members of its crew from India, Sri Lanka, Iran and Pakistan, who were also being held hostage.

The ministry listed the steps taken as they remained ‘pro-actively engaged’ both at home and abroad.

It said, as a matter of principle, no government including the government of Bangladesh could pay ransom to pirates.

The media release did not name the victims but said a Maritime Piracy and Humanitarian Response (MPHRP) team had already met their families in Bangladesh and would pay $200 per month to four needy families of the hostages.

“The issue being extremely sensitive and having a humanitarian aspect, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is keeping close contacts, and liaising with all concerned for the speedy release and safe return of Bangladeshi crews to the country,” the release said.

It sought media support, saying “any incorrect information may complicate the issue further and undermine the efforts, undertaken by the government for their safe and early release”.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has already sought the support of the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The media release added, “Concerned authorities in Malaysia were approached as the ship owner is a Malaysian national.

“The High Commissioner of Malaysia in Dhaka was also called at the ministry and she was requested to use their good offices.

“Bangladesh High Commission in Nairobi was also instructed to maintain close liaison with the UN Office for Somalia in Nairobi.

“Ministry also sought the support of the MPHRP so that they can make efforts to convince the Malaysian Government in this regard”.

The foreign ministry said on their request, a team from MPHRP visited Kuala Lumpur and met officials of Malaysia’s National Security Council. A representative from the Bangladesh High Commission was also present, as were officials from the missions of India and Sri Lanka.

“Following a series of meetings and interactions with the Malaysian side, Malaysian authorities informed that they were unable to use their good offices as the Malaysian owner had already abandoned the ship.”