Pirates hijack Turkish ship in Gulf of Aden

Pirates hijacked a Turkish ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday in an unusual attack because of rough seas at this time of year, a Kenyan maritime official said. Andrew Mwangura, co-ordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, named the vessel as Horizon-1. "It was taken in the Gulf of Aden this morning with 23 Turkish crew," he said.
"In this season, it is hard to take ships because monsoon winds make the seas rough. No one expected attacks at this time." Rough seas make it difficult for pirates to manoeuvre the small, open skiffs they generally use to come alongside merchant ships. Mwangura said he believed the ship was carrying sulphate. Shipping information service Lloyd's List put the 1980-built Horizon-1's size at 34,173 dead-weight tonnes.