The MV ''Yasa Neslihan'' is a

bulk cargo Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. Description Bulk cargo refers to material in either liquid or granular, particulate form, as a mass of relatively small solids, such as petroleum/ crude oi ...

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

owned and operated by the

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

based

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

company YA-SA Denizcilik A.Ş. (YA-SA Maritime Co.), a subsidiary of YA-SA Holding A.Ş., sailing under a

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

flag of convenience Flag of convenience (FOC) is a business practice whereby a ship's owners register a merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship's owners, and the ship flies the civil ensign of that country, called the flag state ...

. She joined company's fleet on November 14, 2005. On October 29, 2008, the ship was captured by Somali pirates in the twenty-ninth such attack in 2008. The ''Yasa Neslihan''s crew (at the time of capture) consisted of 20 Turks.

Hijacking

On 29 October 2008, the ''Yasa Neslihan'' was hijacked near the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

. The ship was allegedly heading to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

transporting 77,000 tons of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

. The owner company learned about the seizure of the ship through vessel's alarm system.

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

warships followed the hijacked ship from a distance, made however no attempt to intervene. The pirates did not contact the owner to make any request before the ship anchored. The ship-owner received information from NATO only about the ship's coordinates. Fehmi Ulgener, the lawyer and the spokesman of the ship-owner, said at a press conference on November 1 that "the captain of the ship called us and said their ship anchored. He said the pirates treated them well and the crew was in good health condition". On November 4, the spokesman said the pirates demanded a ransom to return the ship and the crew, without disclosing the amount of the ransom. On 6 January 2009 the ship was released, Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program said "Gunmen have released one of the three Turkish ships. The vessel was released on Tuesday and I'm not sure whether ransom was paid".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yasa Neslihan Bulk carriers Maritime incidents in 2008 Ships attacked and captured by pirates Cargo ships of Turkey Ships built in Japan Piracy in Somalia 2005 ships Hijackings in 2008