The Thai ship, hijacked by Somali pirates on Saturday, was carrying 15,750 tonnes of urea fertiliser worth about Tk 44 crore to the Chittagong Port imported by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.
Sources at the office of the local agent of the Thai bulk carrier, Hai Shipping Limited, said the consignment of fertiliser was loaded on the ship from Al Jubail Port of Saudi Arabia eight days back.
Mahbub Alam Chowdhury, managing director of the company, said the crew of the vessel contacted them on Thursday for the last time, adding that the ship was scheduled to reach Chittagong Port on December 30.
Majharul Haque Milon, deputy manager of BCIC in Chittagong region, told New Age that they were importing the fertiliser as part of an agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
He also said that the Saudi government had agreed to export one lakh tonnes of fertiliser to Bangladesh and the hijacked Thai ship was carrying the last consignment.
Early this month, the Somali parities hijacked a Bangladeshi vessel, MV Jahan Moni, with 26 of its crewmembers from the Arabian Sea.
