Turkish Bulk Carrier Captured By Pirates Off Kenya

Turkish Bulk Carrier Captured By Pirates Off Kenya (ecop-marine)

- while supertanker arrives at Somali coast

After a prolonged attack in the Indian Ocean since midday at a position around 270nm east of Kenya the Turkey-flagged 36,300-dwt bulk carrier MV YASIN C was overpowered by presumed Somali pirates this afternoon.

The Turkish-owned vessel carrying wheat from Ukraine to Kenya has a crew of 25 sailors – assumed to all be of Turkish nationality – and was destined for Mombasa port in Kenya. The exact crew-list has not yet been transmitted.

The vessel and crew are in the hands of pirates, Turkish sources confirmed, and the ship is now commandeered to Somalia.

The Turkish maritime undersecretariat was quoted as saying that pirates hijacked the ship 270 nautical miles off Mombasa Port of Kenya.

Meanwhile marine biologists working with ECOTERRA Intl. reported the arrival of South Korean supertanker VLCC SAMHO DREAM at the Central Somaali coast, where the vessel and crew of 24 seamen (5 Koreans and 19 Fillipinos) are now held 6.5nm off the ancient port town of Hobyo.

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