By Tolga Yanik
ISTANBUL (AA) - All 15 crew members of Liberian-flagged ship, Mozart, which remains anchored at Port-Gentil, Gabon, are together, in good health and uninjured, according to the ship's Turkish technical operating company on Thursday.
"Boden Shipping communicated with the crew members of the container ship Mozart, which was hijacked off Sao Tome on Jan. 23, 2021," said a statement by the firm.
"Boden Shipping and Boden Shipping's partners in Borealis Shipping continue to make every effort to ensure the fastest release of their teammates, who are their first and only priorities, and continue to be in constant communication with the families of the abducted sailors," it said, adding that no additional comments would be made on the subject to protect the safety and health of the crew and their families.
In a pirate attack on Saturday, 15 of the cargo ship's 19 crew members were abducted, while one, an Azerbaijani national, was killed.
Following the attack, Mozart anchored at the nearby Port-Gentil on Sunday, but with only three of its surviving crew members on board.
The three Turkish crew members in Gabon are in good condition, said Turkey's Embassy in the capital Libreville.
Turkey is doing everything it can to get back the 15 kidnapped sailors -- all apparently Turkish nationals -- though the pirates have not made any contact with officials, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.