Pirates have anchored the Bangladesh-flagged ship MV Abdullah, along with its 23 sailors, to an area seven nautical miles off the Somali coast near Garacad, allowing them to remain in their own cabins.
Everyone was safe and sound, Atiq Ullah Khan, chief officer of the ship, told officials of the Kabir Group, its owner, over the phone on Thursday evening.
Since their capture, the crew had been confined to a room on the deck.
Additional armed pirates, numbering between 15 and 20, had joined those who had initially seized the ship, Atiq said.
Mizanul Islam, media advisor to the group, later confirmed the information.
Pirates had taken the ship to an area under their influence in Somalia, he said, adding that despite the circumstances, all sailors remained unharmed, with efforts ongoing to secure their release along with the vessel.
According to another source, the ship's crew members are carrying out all tasks aboard while the pirates maintain vigilance with their weapons. Despite the tense situation, the crew continues their daily routines, including observing religious practices such as having sehri and iftar, as well as congregational prayers on the ship's bridge. Everyone was on the bridge on Wednesday, but the pirates allowed them to go to retire to their cabins during the day on Thursday.
Shakhawat Hossain, general secretary of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers' Association, said the pirates had yet to establish contact with the ship's owners or present any demands.
MV Abdullah, transporting coal with its 23 crew members, was en route from Mozambique to the UAE when it was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.
Previously, on December 5, 2010, the MV Jahan Moni, owned by the same company, was seized by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Twenty-six individuals on board were held captive for 100 days.
They were released on March 14, 2011 and returned home the next day.
