Rescued pirate victims arrive Turkey

Chinazor Megbolu   |     

Three crew members aboard a Mozart cargo ship that was recently attacked by pirates off the coast of Nigeria have arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, January 30, 2021.

The three crew members, working on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, arrived Turkey on Saturday, according to reports.

The Captain, Mr. Furkan Yaren, Chief Engineer, Mr. Ilhan Suha Tatlıgül and Mr. Bahadir Yeşilalan, the oiler in the engine room, arrived at Istanbul Airport and narrated their ordeal to reporters.

Captain Yaren who informed journalists that he injured his leg in the cause of the attack, also used the opportunity to thank President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister, Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and the Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Mr. Adil Karaismailoğlu for their quick response to the rescue efforts.

“I hope other friends will be able to get back to their families as soon as possible.

“We started to wait for help by closing the safety gates. Then they separated us. I don’t remember how many people they are. They took our friends. We moved the ship to a safe point.

“We gave the necessary information to authorities. We lost a friend and we are so sorry. I’m so glad to be reunited with my family,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tatlıgül in his remarks, noted that they locked themselves in the helm station during the attack and the pirates shot at doors trying to get in, much like in a horror movie.

According to him; “they hit the doors with a sledgehammer for hours. They kept trying for six, seven hours. At that time, our Azerbaijani colleague died. I fell from a height and was slightly injured. Then they took the other friends. They didn’t take me because they couldn’t find me. Then they fled, leaving two wounded.

“Unfortunately, 15 of our friends were captured. There is not much to talk about. We should not upset their families anymore or remind them of their pain”.

Recall that last week, pirates attacked 15 of the Mozart cargo ships, where 19 crew members were abducted, while an Azerbaijani national was killed during the attack.