The European Union Naval Force, or EUNAVFOR, proposed a forceful rescue of Bangladeshi-flagged ship MV Abdullah and its crew members from Somali pirates, a foreign ministry official has said. 

Khurshed Alam, secretary of maritime affairs in the ministry, said in a TV talk show on Sunday that the government and the owner did not agree to the proposal, considering the safety of the 23 seafarers. 

A retired rear admiral, Khurshed had been part of the negotiations to free seven Bangladeshi sailors who were among those onboard a hijacked Malaysian ship, MV Albedo, in 2014. 

“We want a peaceful solution, just like other cases. We hope to contact them [pirates] soon and use our experiences,” he said. 

EUNAVFOR, which operates under the Operation ATALANTA, had said one of their ships shadowed MV Abdullah. They identified three camps of pirates. 

The Indian Navy on Saturday said it rescued Maltese-flagged hijacked ship Ruen and its crew members. The pirates onboard the ship surrendered during the operation. 

Mizanul Islam, a spokesman for MV Abdullah’s owner Kabir Group of Industries, said they were doing everything possible to bring back the sailors unharmed.