<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>A group of Somalian pirates seized control of the Bangladesh-flagged cargo vessel, MV Abdullah, in the Indian Ocean earlier today, officials reported.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>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>The MV Abdullah, owned by SR Shipping Lines, a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group, has 23 crew members on board.</div><div><br></div><div>All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM's media adviser Mizanul Islam, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“We have received information that the vessel is under attack by pirates in the Indian Ocean. The crew are secured within the ship's cabins,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>"We are working to establish communication with them," he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>