ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Armed pirates attacked a Turkish cargo ship off the coast of West Africa, kidnapping 15 sailors and killing one, officials say on Sunday, as Turkey tried to retake the captured crew.
The Liberian-flagged M / V Mozart was sailing from Lagos, Nigeria to Cape Town, South Africa, when it was attacked Saturday morning 185 nautical miles (185 kilometers) northwest of the island nation of Santo Tomé and Príncipe.
Turkey’s maritime directorate said the crew was initially locked in a safe area, but the pirates forced them to enter after six hours. During the fight, a crew member on board died. He identified the victim as engineer Farman Ismayilov of Azerbaijan, the only non-Turkish crew member.
After hijacking most of the crew, the pirates left the ship in the Gulf of Guinea with three sailors on board, state news agency Anadolu said. The pirates reportedly deactivated most of the ship’s systems, leaving only the navigation system for the rest of the crew to find their way to Gabon’s Port-Gentil.
The Gulf of Guinea, off the coasts of Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, is the world’s most dangerous sea for piracy, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Maritime security consultant Dryad Global described the attack as “an exceptional incident both in its severity and in the distance to the coast.” Last year, shipments in West African waters increased from 18 to 13 in 2019, the London-based firm added.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, said he had spoken to Mozart’s remaining senior officer, Furkan Yaren, and that the morale and physical condition of the sailors on board were good.
“We are continuing coordinated negotiations for the release” of the abducted sailors, he said. “The pirates have not yet given an answer.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken twice with Yaren, his office said in a tweet. He added that Erdogan issued orders for the recovery of the hijacked crew.
“Owners and operators of the M / V Mozart, which was abducted at gunpoint in the Gulf of Guinea, have regretted confirming that one of their crews has been killed and others abducted,” said Istanbul-based Boden Maritime .
Among the captives is the ship’s captain, 41-year-old Mustafa Kaya. His brother Seyit, from Istanbul, said Erdogan had called the sailors’ families.
“We look forward to seeing them free and soon excited,” he said. “Everyone is trying. We pray for our brothers. “
In July 2019, 10 Turkish sailors were abducted off the coast of Nigeria. They were released less than a month later.