Fifteen Turkish sailors kidnapped by pirates last month in the Gulf  of Guinea have returned to Turkey. They were greeted by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, amongst other officials at Istanbul Airport, on their arrival. Al Jazeera reports that they had been released two days ago in Nigeria, after having been held for 3 weeks in captivity.

The container ship that the sailors were taken from was headed to Cape Town, South Africa, from Lagos, Nigeria.

Al Jazeera reports that an Azeri sailor was killed in the January 23 attack, during a 5 hour struggle, during which random shots were fired into the ship. The sailor was shot in the stomach. The crew described the attack on the vessel as sophisticated and well-orchestrated.

Levent Karsan, of Boden Shipping, said the sailors were all in good health following their release. He would not confirm whether any ransom had been paid by the company.

Meanwhile, the International Maritime Bureau reports that piracy has made the Gulf of  Guinea – off the coasts of Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin and Cameroon – the most dangerous sea in the world.

Umm Muhammed Umar