GALATA SEAWAYS

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Offence of hijacking denied

After Italian special forces arrested 15 exiles aboard the 'Galata Seaways', the investigation contradicted the initial version of the authorities, according to which the migrants would have tried to force the crew to divert the vessel. They were 15 exiles, from Iran, Iraq and Syria, hidden aboard a truck on the ship which carried cars from the port of Topçular, near Istanbul, to Sète. In the morning of June 9, crew members saw two exiles equipped with knives, before discovering the other 13, who were hidden. The captain of the ship immediately alerted the Turkish authorities, who in turn made a report to their Italian counterparts. Italian special forces then intervened to arrest the exiles, before redirecting the ship to the port of Naples. Among these 15 exiles were 13 men, including two minors, and two women, both pregnant. After disembarking in Naples, they were taken to hospital, along with a man suffering from hypothermia and another with a broken ankle. The Italian Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, also co-founder of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia party, welcomed the action of the agents who made it possible to "capture" those he designated as "pirates". In a public speech, he welcomed the operation of the special forces "which regained control of a Turkish ship seized by armed illegal immigrants". The hearing of the exiles and the crew members, however, invalidated the statements of the minister. They were hidden in one of the trucks and used a sharp object to pierce the tarpaulin in order to get some air. The images from the surveillance cameras on the vessel confirmed this. The Italian soldiers found them in a container in the hold of the ship. Prosecutors ruled out the hypothesis of embezzlement. The investigation continued on June 12. Three of those arrested were targeted for possession of weapons, after two knives and a box cutter were seized. The Naples public prosecutor's office also opened an investigation for criminal association aimed at irregular immigration, to understand how the people had been able to board the ship illegally in Turkey. Report with photos: https://www.infomigrants.net/fr/post/49606/italie--polemique-apres-larrestation-de-15-migrants-caches-sur-un-navire-de-commerce

Hijacking had a good ending

The 15 migrants aboard the 'Galata Seaways' were said to have hijacked a cargo ship after the crew spotted them in Italian waters. The Marine-Brigade San Marco of the Navy freed the ship in a spectacular operation. The 13 men and two women (one being pregnant) came from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and had stowed away in Turkey on the ship. The ship's captain saw two men straying around with knives near the engine room on June 9. When they reunited with the rest of the group, he sounded the alarm about 90 miles southwest of Naples. The 16 crew members and three passengers sheltered in the cabins or on the bridge. The migrants were armed with two knives and a box cutter. It was not yet clear whether the migrants wanted to use their knives. The 'Galata Seaways' turned east towards the Italian coast. The captain sent a distress call to the emergency center in Ankara, which informed the Italian authorities. They started a seven-hour anti-terrorist operation. Two helicopters quickly reached the ship, which had already been approached by Coast Guard and Financial Guard boats. The Italian Navy Seals of the "San Marco" brigade were lowered onto the deck of the Galata Seaways in two helicopters. Some migrants were found in the cargo decks of the ferry which was then secured with all perpetrators having been caught.

Armed perpetrators stormed ship

The 'Galata Seaways'issued an emergency message on Jun 9 in Tyrrhenian sea off the Italian coast, en route from Istanbul to Sète on June 9, 2023, reporting a group of 10-15 perpetrators on board, at least two to three of them being armed. The majoritiy of the crew, which had remarked them on their security cameras, mustered in the citadel, while the bridge watch remained on the bridge. The perrpetrators tried to break in bridge, but were stopped after the Italian Navy responded, and a team of Mariners boarded the ship, which then turned to Naples, where it arrived on June 10. A search for other perpetrators except those who wwere already detained was launched. Report with photos: https://www.ad.nl/buitenland/italiaanse-mariniers-maken-einde-aan-kaping-vrachtschip~a83b2412/