Ten Turkish sailors seized by pirates off Nigerian coast

ANKARA- Reuters

Ten Turkish sailors were taken hostage by armed pirates off the coast of Nigeria early on July 16, shipping company Kadıoğlu Denizcilik said, adding that another eight sailors were safely aboard the ship.

Kadıoğlu said its Turkish-flagged Paksoy-1 cargo ship was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea as it sailed from Cameroon to the Ivory Coast without freight. It gave no further details.

The communication and navigation devices on the ship were damaged and 10 Turkish sailors were taken hostage by pirates, said the statement, noting that no injuries or loss of lives occurred according to initial information.

The ship has been taken to the territorial waters of neighboring Ghana. Turkey’s intelligence agency and Foreign Ministry have been working hard on the issue, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik told reporters.