Crew on Turkish ship taken by Somali pirates safe: boat owners

Three of the 11 crew members of the M/V Bogazici Harikasi are Turkish nationals, Isko Maritime said in a statement to AFP.

 

The remaining eight are Ukrainian, said foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin, who called for greater international cooperation to fight the growing piracy threat in the region.

 

Isko Maritime said the ship, which flies under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was travelling without cargo when it was captured Tuesday morning.

 

Somali pirates armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades also captured a Malaysian vessel, a tug acting as an oil industry support ship, said the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur.

 

But the Chinese crew of another ship boarded in nearby waters managed to fight off a pirate attack with the help of the newly created European Union naval task force.

 

Pirates have carried out more than 100 attacks in the key shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean since the start of this year.

 

Two other Turkish vessels are among 17 ships, including an arms-laden Ukrainian cargo vessel and the Saudi-owned super-tanker Sirius Star, being held to ransom off the Somali coast.

 

The cargo ship "Ya-Sa Neslihan" owned by YA-SA maritime company has been under control of pirates for 47 days, while the other ship, "Karagol" owned by YDC maritime company has been under seizure by pirates for 33 days.

 

TURKEY EXPRESSES CONCERN

Turkey's Permanent Ambassador to U.N. Baki Ilkin on Wednesday expressed concern over the condition of crew members of two Turkish trading vessels that were hijacked off Somali shores.

 

A strong international cooperation is necessary to deal with pirates and robberies, Ilkin told a meeting at U.N. Security Council.

 

Ilkin said Turkey expressed deep uneasiness over the rise in the number of kidnappings and armed robberies by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

 

"Pirates still hold two Turkish trading vessels," he added.

 

Ilkin said Turkey condemned the brutal acts of the pirates posing a serious threat to international maritime security, adding that "Turkey has sent a frigate to NATO forces within this scope."

 

U.N. RESOLUTION

The U.N. Security Council Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution for the first time authorizing international land operations against audacious, armed pirates sheltering in Somalia.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed the adoption of the U.S. resolution saying it sent a "strong signal to combat the scourge of piracy" and stressed the need "to end the impunity of Somali pirates".

 

The text, co-sponsored by Belgium, France, Greece, Liberia and South Korea, gives those nations already involved in battling pirates off Somalia a one-year mandate to act against the brigands inside the country.

 

Resolution 1851 authorizes the states to "take all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia" to suppress "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea".

 

However, to overcome objections from countries such as Indonesia, an earlier reference in the text to "ashore" or "including in its (Somalia) airspace" was dropped.