Pirate attack on cargo ship: Efforts continue to rescue crew

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A cargo ship owned by a Turkey-based company was anchored off Gabon after being attacked by pirates off Nigeria on Saturday (January 23).

The Liberia-flagged cargo ship Mozart anchored at Port-Gentil at 11 a.m. (8 a.m. GMT), Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoülu on Twitter yesterday (January 24).

In the attack, out of 19 or 20 crew members, 15 were kidnapped and three remained with the pirates – both groups all apparently citizens of Turkey – while one crew member from Azerbaijan was killed. It is unclear how many surviving crew members may still be on the cargo ship.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Turkey's Ambassador to Gabon Nilufer Erdem Kaygisiz said procedures for the transfer of the slain Azerbaijani crew member will be done quickly.

"First of all, we need to ... get there, see the crew," and then retrieve the body, she added.

En route from Lagos, Nigeria to Cape Town, South Africa, the Mozart was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the small island nation of Sao Tome.

Speaking to pro-government news channel NTV, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Turkey has begun initiatives for the safe return of its citizens from the pirates.

No contact with pirates yet

"These thugs, pirates who kidnapped our citizens have not yet contacted us," he explained.

He added: "There have been attacks on our ships and other countries' ships before. They call after a certain time and make their demands. But all kinds of preparation and work have been done."

Çavuşoğlu also said he spoke to his Azerbaijani counterpart and told him the body of the slain sailor would be sent back home via Turkey.

"The necessary funeral procedures will be carried out," he added.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with the fourth captain of the ship, Furkan Yaren, yesterday, the Presidency's Communications Directorate said in the statement.

Closely following the developments, Erdogan was also kept informed of the health status of three crew members who survived the incident, according to the statement. (PT/VK)