<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday said efforts are being made to rescue hijacked Bangladeshi flag carrier MV Abdullah and its 23 crew through the 'second party'.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said that those who hijacked the ship have not yet been formally contacted.</div><div><br></div><div>"We are trying to communicate with the pirates via a second party," he told reporters after attending a programme at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, “We have informed those who need to be contacted in this regard,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon.</div><div><br></div><div>MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group.</div><div><br></div><div>All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>