No contact from pirates who kidnapped Turkish sailors off West Africa coast: Cavusoglu

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that the pirates that kidnapped sailors off the coast of Nigeria have not made contact.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

26 January, 2021

The pirates have not made contact [Getty]

Suspected Nigerian pirates that kidnapped more than 10 Turkish crew members of a cargo ship off the Gulf of Guinea two days ago have not established any contact with authorities or the sailors' families, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday.

On Saturday, a ship named MV/ Mozart was attacked by criminals 180 miles off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. The pirates kidnapped 15 of the crew, while one Azerbaijani citizen was reportedly killed during the fight.

At the time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the crew members were attacked at gunpoint. Three crew members remained on the ship after the pirate attack, the Istanbul-based Boden company, which owns the ship, said.

"Pirates have not got in touch either with us, with the company or with the families of the sailors," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters on Monday.

The Turkish government is contacting Nigeria to rescue its sailors, he added.

"We are in contact with the neighbouring countries. Everyone is making great efforts. The company that owns the ship, likewise, has completed all necessary preparations," Cavusoglu said.

The minister said the recent incident should be a lesson for countries and companies operating around West Africa, due to the number of pirate raids in the region.

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