February 9, 2010
Pirates on Wednesday seized a Turkish cargo ship and its 23 member crew off the coast of Somalia, a spokesman for the company which owns the ship said.
The bulk carrier Horizon 1 was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Jordan with 33,000 cubic metres of sulphide when it was seized around 5:30 a.m. GMT by pirates on speedboats, Omer Ozgur from Istanbul-based Horizon Maritime and Trade told the wire service Agence France Presse.
The Horizon 1 was passing through the warship-patrolled transit corridor, which vessels are encouraged to use in order to prevent attacks, when it was seized, Ozgur added.
After it was boarded, the vessel continued on its course and was being followed by the Turkish frigate Gediz which has been deployed with NATO naval forces in the region, Ozgur said.
The spokesman had earlier said that they had received information that there were three unarmed pirates on board the ship who had gone into a meeting with the captain.
Horizon Maritime had had no telephone contact with its ship, he added, and there was no immediate indication of a ransom demand.
Turkey currently has two frigates in the area as part of international naval forces to crack down on pirates and Somali arms traffickers.
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