Italy sends navy, coast guard to rescue attacked Turkish ship

The Guardian reported today (June 10) that Italian military forces approached a cargo ship traveling from Turkey to France on June 9 after discovering about 15 migrants carrying knives trying to board the ship.

The Italian Defense Ministry said the cargo ship Galatea Seaways, operating under the Turkish flag with 22 crew members, departed from Turkey on June 7 and was headed to southern France, according to AFP news agency.

An Italian Navy helicopter

While the ship was sailing on the ocean, migrants of unknown nationality sneaked onto the ship in the hope of reaching Europe. However, the crew later discovered the group. Some of them used knives to suppress them and took some of the sailors hostage.

The ship's captain attempted to send a distress signal. After receiving the report, Ankara reported the incident to the authorities as the ship was sailing off the Italian coast. Rome deployed two naval helicopters as well as coast guard and economic police vessels to participate in the rescue.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told reporters that military forces had regained control of the ship after a seven-hour rescue operation. "The ship is now secured and all 22 Turkish crew members are safe," he said.

"The people following the ship used what appeared to be weapons such as daggers to threaten the crew […] According to the information we have, the people above are illegal immigrants," Mr. Crosetto said.

According to ship tracking website MarineTraffic , the cargo ship is currently anchored just outside the port of Naples, Italy, with several police officers present.

Following a similar incident in 2019, humanitarian group SeaWatch rejected the term "piracy", arguing that the migrants' actions "were in self-defense against deadly consequences" due to strict border policies in Europe.

Every day, thousands of migrants flee abroad to escape the brutal violence of security forces in the Balkan countries. In February 2022, Bulgarian authorities found 18 migrants dead in an abandoned truck near the village of Lokorsko, 20 kilometers northeast of the capital Sofia.

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