Rescued Turkish sailors arrive in Turkey

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

Fifteen Turkish sailors arrived in Istanbul early on Feb. 14 following their abduction by pirates by pirates off the coast of Nigeria.

The sailors were taken early on Feb. 13 to the Turkish Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria under strict security.

Turkish Ambassador Melih Ulueren and other officials welcomed the seamen who were kidnapped after their Liberian-flagged ship was hijacked by pirates. They were rescued on Feb. 12.

The crew was rescued on Feb. 12 and brought back to Turkey via a Turkish Airlines flight.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced the return journey on Twitter late on Feb. 13. "We are waiting for you with your families," he said

In the attack, 15 of Mozart’s crew of 19 were abducted on Jan. 23. One, an Azerbaijani national, was killed.

Following the attack, the ship anchored in nearby Port-Gentil, but with only three surviving crew members on board. They were taken on Jan. 30 to Turkey.

The vessel was managed by Borealis Maritime, a firm based in London and Hamburg, Germany.

Top Turkish, Nigerian diplomats discuss sailors' rescue

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Nigeria spoke on Feb. 13 to discuss developments following the release of Turkish sailors from pirates’ captivity a day earlier, diplomatic sources said.

Çavuşoğlu and his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama held a phone conversation as six of the 15 rescued Turkish sailors were brought to the Turkish Embassy in the capital Abuja.

The top Turkish diplomat also spoke to Mustafa Kaya, the captain of the ship, in a separate phone call, according to the sources.