KSRM refuses to disclose ransom amount

KSRM Group, the owner company of the hijacked Bangladeshi cargo vessel MV Abdullah, has refused to disclose the ransom amount needed to rescue the ship and its all 23 crew members.

Mehrul Karim, chief executive officer (CEC) of KSRM Group, has apologized to the journalists for skipping answer to such question raised by them during a press conference held at the KSRM headquarters in Chattogram on Sunday (April 14) noon.

“We have been able to rescue the hijacked ship and its all 23 sailors within short time using prior experience. All 23 sailors are unharmed and in good health,” the CEO said.

Asked about the ransom amount needed to rescue the hijacked ship and its all sailors, Mehrul Karim refused to disclose the amount and apologized to the journalists for not answering the question. “We cannot share anything about it. We have an agreement with the authorities concerned. We have no way to go out of the agreement for privacy reasons. We cannot promote pirates.”

The press conference was also attended by other high officials of the KSRM Group.

Earlier, hijacked Bangladeshi cargo vessel MV Abdullah and its all 23 crew members got release from Somali pirates after being held hostage for 31 days.

The pirates released the hijacked Bangladeshi cargo vessel and its all 23 crew members after taking ransom from them.

Earlier, on March 12 at 1:30 pm Bangladesh time, a gang of Somali pirates boarded and took control of the MV Abdullah while it was en route from the port of Maputo, Mozambique, to the United Arab Emirates. The ship was carrying 55,000 tons of coal. All 23 crew members on board are Bangladeshis. The ship is owned by SR Shipping Limited, an affiliate of Chattogram-based Kabir Group. The pirates then took the ship to the coast of Somalia.

Nine days after the ship was hijacked, the pirates contacted the ship’s owner’s group to demand ransom. There were then negotiations at various levels. The ship’s owner had hinted that the sailors would be released this month.

SR Shipping is one of the largest shipping companies in the country. They operate ocean-going merchant ships. The bulk carrier MV Abdullah, with a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 45,653 tons, has an overall length (LOA) of 185.74 metres and a width of 30.4 metres.