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Pirates hijack Turkish ship off Yemen

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-13 15:25

ANKARA, Turkey -- Pirates commandeered a Turkish chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, Turkish officials said.

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The Karagol, a ship bound for India, was hijacked 16 miles (26 kilometers) off the coast of Yemen, a statement from the Maritime Affairs Directorate said. It was carrying 4,500 tons of unspecified chemicals.

Turkish officials sought assistance from British NATO ships, the statement said.

It did not say whether the attackers were from nearby Somalia, the source of many piracy attacks in the region, and no one was immediately available for comment at the directorate.

It was the second Turkish ship to be hijacked in the area in the past two weeks. On October 29, Somali pirates seized a ship carrying iron ore and demanded a ransom.

Pirates have hijacked dozens of ships in the Gulf of Aden this year, most notably a Ukrainian freighter loaded with tanks in September.