Tuesday, November 04, 2008
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The owner of a Turkish ship commandeered off
Somalia with 20 crew on board says pirates have demanded a ransom for
its return.Pirates hijacked the Yasa Neslihan freighter last week in the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. It is one of the world's busiest waterways.
Yasa Holding spokesman Fehmi Ulgener said Tuesday that pirates are demanding a ransom but he did not disclose the amount they wanted.
Piracy has soared off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has no functioning government.
The
International Maritime Bureau says at least 77 ships have been attacked
in African waters this year. Thirty-one ships have been hijacked, and
10 remain in the hands of pirates along with nearly 200 crew members.
SOURCE: AP, Tuesday, November 04, 2008