Voice of America
25 Jan 2021, 19:35 GMT+10
ANKARA - Pirates who seized 15 sailors when they stormed a Turkish-crewed container ship in the Gulf of Guinea two days ago have not yet made contact with authorities, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday.
An Azeri sailor was killed when armed attackers boarded the vessel, which was headed to Cape Town from Lagos, and abducted 15 Turkish sailors.
"We have not yet received word from the pirates," foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.
Turkey was in contact with officials in Gabon, where he said the Liberian-flagged container ship Mozart had docked with its remaining crew, and with authorities in neighboring countries.
Echoing comments by President Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's transport minister said the government was working to ensure the swift release of the sailors.
"We will rescue our citizens from the hands of these bandits and reunite them with their families as soon as possible," Adil Karaismailoglu said.
The ship was attacked 160 km (100 miles) off Sao Tome island on Saturday, maritime reports showed.
Pirates in the Gulf, which borders more than a dozen countries, kidnapped 130 sailors in 22 incidents last year, accounting for all but five of those seized worldwide, according to an International Maritime Bureau report.
The attack on the Mozart could raise international pressure on Nigeria to do more to protect shippers, who have called for tougher action in recent weeks, analysts said.
Get a daily dose of Entertainment Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Entertainment Sun.
More InformationIn the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
LONDON, U.K.: At least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the U.K.'s Post Office scandal, in which...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: An elaborate impersonation scheme involving artificial intelligence targeted senior U.S. and foreign officials in...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 11 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) has urged the state...
Washington DC [US], July 11 (ANI): Anime fans are in for a treat as one of the popular anime 'Sakamoto Days' is returning with its...
Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], July 11 (ANI): A recent investigation into the fire incidents at the Kozhikode Government Medical College...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 11 (ANI): The UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC), in collaboration with the Embassy of the United Arab...
BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on people working in the country's film industry to create more...