A Turkish container ship hacked in the Gulf of Guinea (v3)
(B2) The Mozart, a Turkish ship, was boarded on Saturday (23.01) morning by pirates off Sao Tome and Principe. Particularly violent assault. Ankara authorities are in turmoil
The Liberian-flagged container ship had left Lagos and was then 100 miles northwest of Sao Tome e Principe on the open sea, heading for Cape Town, South Africa. According to the maritime sources consulted by B2, it was then at 1°04'13" North and 5°14'17" East. Formerly called Pointe des Salines when it belonged to CMA CGM, it is managed by the Turkish company Boden Denizcilik AŞ, a subsidiary of Borealis Maritime, a company established in Hamburg, London and Istanbul.
One dead, 15 hostages
After stopping the ship, the pirates — apparently four in number — stormed the ship. The sailors did not have time to all take refuge in the citadel, or at least it was forced. The detail is not really known. But the pirates did not hesitate. They left by taking 15 members of the crew hostage, violently, beating them. One of the sailors, of Azerbaijani nationality, the second engineer on board, was killed in the attack. Before leaving, they destroyed a good part of the instruments on board (except the automatic navigation system). The Brest maritime surveillance center for the Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) has been notified. But no military means were available nearby to help the sailors, according to our information.
Three survivors to lead the ship to safety
Only three sailors were able to survive. The ship's fourth captain, Furkan Yaren, was injured in the leg. Another was injured in the stomach. The three of them managed to take the container ship as close as possible to Port-Gentil in Gabon. Furkan Yaren also tells it on a friend's twitter media. " I don't know where I'm going. The hackers dismantled all the cables, nothing works. We survived, they kidnapped our friends by beating them. Only the navigation system works. They gave me an itinerary, I move accordingly. Nwe are trying to get the ship to a safe place »
Arrival in Port Gentil
The ship arrived at 8 a.m. (GMT) on Sunday, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adel Karah Ismailoglu confirmed. Turkey " mobilized all its embassies in the west of the African continent in order to rescue the crew of the attacked ship ” indicates the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşolu, according to the agency Anadolu. The Turkish ambassador in Libreville, Nilüfer Erdem, spared no effort, welcoming the sailors on their arrival at the port.
The Turkish ambassador on the MV Mozart on her arrival with one of the surviving sailors (the 4th captain) (credit: Turkish amb. Libreville)
Another attack in mid-January
This is not really a surprise (*) nor a first. On the night of January 13 to 14, according to maritime sources, pirates aboard a small boat approached a container ship, with gunfire. Maersk Cardiff, flying the flag of Singapore but operated by Denmark's Maersk, was en route from Tema in Ghana to Cameroon. It was then about 120 miles south-southwest of Brass (Nigeria) at 2°23'58" North and 5°31" East. The alarm was raised and the entire crew was assembled in the citadel. The pirates abandoned the attack. The vessel and crew declared themselves safe and were able to continue on their way.
A European pilot project
The Gulf of Guinea should also become the first maritime zone of European interest. The Foreign Ministers must decide this Monday (25.01) (read Gulf of Guinea maritime zone of European interest. First Coordinated Maritime Presence Pilot Project).
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
NB: on the general aspects of the risks in the Gulf of Guinea are the subject of a separate article, read: Pirates love the Gulf of Guinea. The most dangerous area
(*) This weekend's attack is part of this continuous movement and is therefore not totally atypical, contrary to what some analysts' comments claim.
(updated) The statistical aspects on the Gulf of Guinea have been put in a separate paper. Details on the availability of relief and on the reception in Libreville.