Piracy in Somalia

The Turkish corvette TCG Kınalıada embarks on an expedition to the Far East on April 8, retracing the route of the ill-fated frigate Ertuğrul, which sank en route from Japan in 1890.

The voyage also marks the centennial milestone of diplomatic ties between Türkiye and Japan.

India has announced plans to arrest and charge the 35 Somali pirates apprehended by its navy during the hijacking of the Malta-flagged vessel "Ruen" off the coast of Somalia. This decision marks a departure from previous practices, where disarmed pirates were typically left at sea after ship rescues.

Turkish lawmakers have approved a presidential decree extending the mission of Turkish military naval elements in several maritime zones, including the Gulf of Aden, Somali territorial waters, the Arabian Sea and adjacent regions.

Navigation Maritime Bulgare confirmed the evacuation of a crew member from the hijacked Bulgarian-owned, Malta-flagged ship, Ruen, with the assistance of the Indian Navy. The individual was shifted to a warship for medical attention and later deemed in need of hospitalization following a health assessment by the Indian medical team.

It is one of the largest SAR operations ever carried out in the E. Mediterranean – The Turkish-flagged cargo ship is towed to a safe place

A cargo ship with a largely Turkish crew that was attacked off Nigeria on Jan. 23 is now anchored off neighboring Gabon, and the body of a slain Azerbaijani sailor is due to be brought to shore, according to Turkish officials.

The Greek-owned tanker was attacked by pirates last week

Frigates of the Turkish and Italian navies conducted a joint training session in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on April 24. 

Apart from a Filipino national who is missing, the remaining 21 crew of a Greek-flagged chemical tanker that was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea off western Africa on Thursday were reportedly in good health on Friday and the ship was heading to Lagos, Nigeria.

It was still not clear on Friday if the missing crew member was abducted or fell into the sea.

A captain of a Turkish-flagged cargo vessel sailing in the Indian Ocean was stabbed to death by the vessel's greaser on Dec. 20. Two crew members who wanted to neutralize the murderer also were injured with knife strokes.

The vessel was at the sea after receiving its cargo from Semeran Port of Indonesia.