Somali Pirates Seek $5 Mln for Seized Turkish Ship, Aksam Says

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

31 Oct 2008

Somali pirates are demanding a ransom of $5 million for the return of a Turkish cargo ship and its 20 crew hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, Aksam reported without saying where it got the information. The pirates boarded the 77,000-ton Yasa Neslihan, carrying iron ore to China from Canada, on Oct. 29, the newspaper said. North Atlantic Treaty Organization warships are tracking the seized vessel, it said.
Somali pirates have hijacked 73 ships this year and have received more than $30 million for their return, Aksam said. The pirates currently hold 12 ships and more than 200 crew, it said.
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Indian Ocean between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia on Africa's eastern coastline.

Source: Bloomberg