MV ''Karagöl'' is an

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

chemical tanker A chemical tanker is a type of tanker (ship), tanker ship designed to transport chemicals in bulk. As defined in MARPOL Annex II, chemical tanker means a ship constructed or adapted for carrying in bulk any liquid product listed in chapter 17 o ...

owned and operated by the

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

based Turkish company YDC Denizcilik A.Ş. (YDC Maritime Co.), sailing under Turkish flag. The marine company is also partnered by the ruling

AK Party The Justice and Development Party ( , AK PARTİ), abbreviated officially as AK Party in English, is a political party in Turkey self-describing as conservative-democratic. It has been the ruling party of Turkey since 2002. Third-party sources ...

's Istanbul deputy Hasan Kemal Yardımcı. On November 12, 2008, the ship was captured by

Somali pirates Horn of Africa * Somali Peninsula, a region of East Africa, also known as "The Horn of Africa" * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Greater Somalia ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali culture ...

in the thirty-fifth such attack in 2008. The ''Karagöl''s crew (at the time of capture) consisted of 14 Turks. The vessel was subsequently released, possibly as a result of a ransom payment, on 13 January 2009.

Hijacking

On November 12, 2008, the ''Karagöl'' was hijacked off the coast of

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

near the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

. The ship was allegedly heading to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

transporting 4,500 tons of chemical of unknown substance. Following a message received from the ship's crew that they were attacked by pirates, Turkish authorities informed British warships patrolling in the region as part of a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

mission about the incident. NATO forces were asked by the Turkish government to intervene. The ''Karagöl'' is the second Turkish-owned vessel hijacked in the area within two weeks after MV ''Yasa Neslihan'', and the second chemical tanker seized within two days, following the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

-flagged MV ''Stolt Strength''. Kubilay Marangoz, a lawyer of the ship-owner, said in an interview that "Our hands are tied. We have nothing to do at the moment. We are in contact with the pirates. They have demanded ransom. We are negotiating with them." He did not disclose the amount of the ransom demanded. The vessel was released by the hijackers by January 13, 2009. The crew and cargo were reported to be safe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karagol Oil tankers Chemical tankers Maritime incidents in 2008 Ships attacked and captured by pirates Tankers of Turkey Ships built in Istanbul Piracy in Somalia 2006 ships Hijackings in 2008