Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pirates ‘on speedboats’ kidnap 10 Turkish sailors off coast of Nigeria

Hostages have not been heard from since they were taken

Samuel Osborne
Tuesday 16 July 2019 11:19 EDT
Comments
The Gulf of Guinea has been described as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy
The Gulf of Guinea has been described as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Armed pirates attacked a cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria and kidnapped 10 of the Turkish vessel’s crew members.

Shipping company Kadioglu Denizcilik said its Paksoy-1 cargo ship was attacked off the Gulf of Guinea as it sailed from Cameroon to Ivory Coast without freight.

Another eight sailors were safely aboard the Turkish-flagged ship, the company said.

“According to initial information, there were no injuries or casualties. Efforts for all our personnel to be safely released continue,” Kadioglu said in a statement.

Private NTV television said the pirates approached the ship on speed boats and took 10 crew members as hostages, who have not been heard from since.

NTV said the eight remaining crew members were rescued and taken to Guinea.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the spokesman for Turkey‘s ruling AK Party said the government was closely following the matter and called for the sailors to be returned safely.

Kidnappings and piracy for ransom in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea are common.

Last week, the International Maritime Bureau described the Gulf of Guinea as the most dangerous area in the world for piracy.

It said 73 per cent of all sea kidnappings and 92 per cent of hostage-takings took place in the Gulf of Guinea.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in