>Actually it was just a matter of time. Yesterday it happened.
Turkish owned, Marshal Islands flagged bulk carrier MV YASA NESLIHAN was hijacked by pirates off Somalia coast. The ship was carrying 77.000 tons iron ore from Canada to China.
20 of the 30 strong personnel are Turkish citizens. The spokesmen for the company stated that pirates did not set up any kind of contact yet.Since the hijacking there was no communication with the ship.
According to news sites and newspapers Turkey requested help from NATO. Turkish frigate F-496 TCG Gökova is in the are with the rest of SNMG-2. But according to a NATO press release only three NATO ships (ITS Durand de la Penne, HS Themistokles, HMS Cumberland), part of Operation ALLIED PROVIDER, will begin escort duties and establish a naval presence in the area as a deterrent to piracy upon arrival. The rest of the SNMG-2 is off to Persian Gulf for maritime diplomacy.
I hope that the ship and her crew is soon released unharmed.
devrimyaylali.com 