One sailor, an Azerbaijani citizen, was killed in the raid, while the abductee is from Turkey, according to the respective governments and a crew list seen by Reuters.
Reports from crew, relatives and security sources described an advanced and well-orchestrated attack, in which armed pirates boarded the ship and breached the protective citadel, possibly with explosives.
Three sailors remain on Mozart’s ship, which received assistance Sunday evening in Gabonese waters off the coast of Central Africa.
“The ship is in our waters and our sailors are assisting a few nautical miles from Port Gentil,” said Gabon’s spokesperson Jessye Ella Ekogha, without providing further details.
The Liberian-flagged ship was bound for Cape Town from Lagos when it was attacked on Saturday in the Gulf of Guinea, 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the island of Sao Tome, maritime reports showed.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the ship’s fourth captain, Furkan Yaren, had sailed “blindly” towards Gabon with damage to the ship’s controls and only the radar working. The pirates beat crew members and left him with a wounded leg, while another still on board the ship had shrapnel, Yaren said.
Turkish media quoted Istanbul-based shipping company Boden as saying the ship’s owners and operators were abducted at gunpoint. Boden was not readily available.
Ambrey, a security company, said four gunmen boarded the Mozart and entered the citadel – where the crew are advised to hide from any attack – from a deck on top of the cabin.
Edward Yeibo, a Nigerian naval commander, said he was unaware of the attack and was seeking details. The Lagos naval command office and a spokesman for the naval regulator of Nigeria were not immediately available.
Game changer
Pirates in the Gulf, which borders more than a dozen countries, kidnapped 130 sailors in 22 incidents last year, all but five seized, according to a report by the International Maritime Bureau.
The attack on the Mozart could increase international pressure on Nigeria to do more to protect shippers, who have called for tougher measures in recent weeks, analysts said.
“The fact that someone died, the number of people taken and the apparent use of explosives to breach the ship’s citadel means it is a potential game-changer,” said David Johnson, CEO of the UK. established EOS Risk Group.
“Obviously it’s quite sophisticated and if pirates have decided to use ammunition, that’s a big step,” he said. There is no doubt that the abducted people will be returned to the delta of Nigeria and Turkey will have little hope of stopping it, he added.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the pirates had not had any contact with Ankara.
Seyit Kaya, the brother of kidnapped 42-year-old captain Mustafa Kaya, a father of two, said in an interview that he was awaiting details from the ship owner about possible ransom.
“Since that area is where a lot of attacks take place, they are taking warnings against pirates,” said Kaya, who is also a sailor.