Turkish ship heads to destination in France after attempted hijack

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - A Turkish cargo ship has left for its destination in France after Italian security forces carried out a rescue operation on a Turkish cargo ship following a hijack attempt by armed stowaways.

According to the MarineTraffic website, which shows the civil maritime traffic around the world, the Turkish-flagged cargo ship Galata Seaways, which spent the night off the coast of Naples, departed for the destination port in France at noon after Italian authorities completed their investigation.

Also, the Italian news agency ANSA reported that the captain of the ship saw two people with knives wandering in the engine room and issued the alarm.

In addition, the prosecutor's office accused three of 15 “illegal migrants” of carrying weapons, and it was reported that the Italian security forces seized two knives and a utility knife during their search.

Meanwhile, four of the 15 migrants who were taken to the Naples Police Department after being removed from the ship were referred to the hospital due to health problems.

Among those hospitalized were a pregnant woman, a person in generally poor condition, and a person who was thought to have a broken ankle and suffered from severe hypothermia.

In a separate report, ANSA said that nine out of 15 migrants were Iraqi, four were Syrian, and one was Iranian, and the identity of the person who was hospitalized due to hypothermia could not be determined yet.

- Hijack attempt

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told reporters that the stowaways, who he described as a group of “illegal migrants” with "dagger-type weapons," took control of the Turkish-flagged Galata Seaways ro-ro ship, which was sailing from Türkiye's Yalova province to the French port of Sete.

Following the operation by two navy helicopters, coast guard personnel and customs police, control of the ship was regained off Naples.

"The ship's hijackers have been captured. All ended well," Crosetto wrote on Twitter and congratulated security forces taking part in the operation to regain control of the ship.

Türkiye's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs (DGM) said relevant authorities were alerted at 11.20 a.m. Turkish time (0820GMT) that 15 stowaways with dagger-type knives were detected onboard.

The crew locked themselves in the engine room and alerted maritime authorities in Türkiye.

Following evaluations, Turkish authorities contacted Italian and French authorities, and upon the request of the ship’s company and approval from Rome, it was decided that the ship sail toward Naples, the DGM said in the statement.

Later, sharing images from the ship's security cameras, the DGM announced on Twitter that Italian security forces regained control of the ship and rescued the crew.