File photo of the Turkish-flagged general cargo ship Paksoy-1. Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Jorge Manuel Martins Pires
ANKARA, July 16 (Reuters) – Ten Turkish sailors were taken hostage by armed pirates who attacked a Turkish-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, the vessel’s owner said on Tuesday, adding that another eight sailors were left safely aboard.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said the sailors were seized on Saturday evening. After the pirates left the ship it was taken to Ghana’s Tema port, and Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities are working on returning the captured sailors, the ministry said.
Shipping company Kadioglu Denizcilik said its ship, the Paksoy-1, was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea as it sailed from Cameroon to Ivory Coast without freight.
“According to initial information, there were no injuries or casualties. Efforts for all our personnel to be safely released continue,” the company said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party said the government was closely following the matter and called for the sailors to be returned safely. He declined to give further details.
Kidnappings and piracy for ransom in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea are common.
Last week, the International Maritime Bureau described https://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php/1279-seas-off-west-africa-world-s-worst-for-pirate-attacks-imb-reports the Gulf of Guinea as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy. It said 73% of all sea kidnappings and 92% of hostage-takings took place in the Gulf of Guinea. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay in Ankara Libby George in Lagos and Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul Editing by Dominic Evans and Frances Kerry)
The European Union’s counter-piracy naval operation off the Somali coast, known as Operation Atalanta, has reiterated its warning that ransom payments could potentially exacerbate the piracy issue off the Horn...
By Abdiqani Hassani (Reuters) – Somali pirates released a hijacked ship, MV Abdullah, and its crew of 23 early on Sunday after a $5 million ransom was paid, according to...
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The Indian Navy said it had freed the 23-strong crew of an Iranian fishing vessel which was seized by armed pirates off Somalia. The Al-Kambar 786 was southwest of...
March 31, 2024
Total Views: 6855
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.