Dhaka tracks hijacked ship, Somali pirates suspected

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FE Report
Shipping minister Shahjahan Khan Monday said the government is continuously monitoring the movement of the hijacked Bangladesh flag- bearing vessel.
"We've identified locations of the ship plying the Arabian Sea. We're continuously monitoring its movement," Shahjahan Khan told reporters at a hurriedly called press briefing at his office.
It is for the first time that a Bangladeshi-flagged ship has been hijacked.
The vessel is plying at a speed of 10 nautical miles on the Arabian Sea, said officials who saw satellite images
As of 5pm Monday, the vessel was 1100 nautical miles away from mainland Somalia, they claimed.
A Bangladeshi ship carrying 43000 tonnes of nickel
ore from Indonesia was taken over by heavily-armed pirates on Sunday. The Bangladesh local time during the incident was 4pm.
It is believed that pirates from lawless East African nation Somalia hijacked the vessel named MV Jahan Moni. It is owned by Mohammed Shajahan, owner of leading mild steel producing company KSRM.
Meanwhile, senior mariners told the FE that the ship may have been hijacked by pirates from Sri Lanka.
"I think the pirates are hailing from Sri Lanka, especially from now-defunct LTTE," said Captain Anam Chowdhury.
The vessel was loaded with 43,000 tonnes of nickel ore from Indonesia to take them to Greece via Singapore.
The shipping minister, however, said: "We want to rescue the ship and its crew through negotiations, if the pirates put offer."
Mr Shahjahan said the pirates are yet to contact the Bangladeshi ship owner and the government.
Replying to a question relating to possible casualties in the incident, Mr Shajahan said: "We have not seen any casualty in the past in such piracies. So we're not worried about the issue."
Mr Shahjahan said the pirates might demand ransom in exchange for releasing the vessel and its crew.
The vessel has 25 crew and a woman.
Mr Shahjahan said the government has already contacted anti-piracy regional organisations to help rescue the ship.
"We've asked the Indian coast guard for helping us. We have sought help from two regional organisations, one Singapore-based and the other Dubai-based," he added.
He also said the prime minister (PM) has advised the foreign minister (FM) to contact states and organisations concerned so that the ill-fated vessel could be rescued immediately.
Officials at the Mercantile Marine Department told the FE the vessel needs at least four to five days to reach mainland Somalia if it was hijacked by Somali pirates.
Earlier on Sunday, director general of shipping Rear Admiral (retd) Bazlur Rahman said Bangladesh-flagged M.V. Jahan Moni appears to have been hijacked on the day off the Indian coast as it was heading from Singapore to Europe.
Md Shajahan, owner of the vessel, told the FE: "I want government intervention and its tight monitoring to rescue the ship."
He also said: "The government might ask Indian coast guards in this connection."
He also said: "I've failed to contact my crew since Sunday."
Somali pirates in 2010 have hijacked 31 vessels, the shipping minister said.