Frigia: Garanti bulker ransomed, released

Frigia IMO: 7507485
Malta flagged Turkish owned (Garanti Finansal Kiralama, a subsidiarty of Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS, Istambul) cargo ship MV FRIGIA, has been released, deadweight 35,000 tonnes. The pirates abandoned the ship. The ship's release came through negotiations but would not say whether a ransom was paid. earlier read more

Frigia: Turkish sailors against the Sea Bandits

Sea bandits were found in two fast skiff type boats meant to be used in the sea banditry activities and have been destroyed. .With respect, the public is notified with photos . Turkish translated by Google and edited for sense.

Frigia: Turkey G class TCG Gelibolu on patrol

Former USS Reid (FFG-30), Oliver Hazard Perry class guided-missile frigate recommissioned by Turkey G class TCG Gelibolu (F 493). They can accommodate S-70B Seahawk helicopters. Commandos aboard Turkey's TCG Gelibolu stopped a pirate vessel on April 18 as it sailed off the Seychelles on a route being used by a Turkish freighter heading to Mombassa, Kenya.

The commandos captured the pirates, destroyed their two skiffs and confiscated other pirate material. Malta flagged Turkish owned (Garanti Finansal Kiralama) cargo ship MV Frigia was hijacked near the Seychelles on March 23.

Frigia: bomb-making nitrates closely monitored

Class: Oliver Hazard Perry USS John A. Moore (FFG19) recommissioned in the Turkish Navy as TCG Gediz (F-495)













The hijacking of the Frigia is potentially more complicated. It is unclear if its cargo of fertilizer is nitrate-based, which could be used for bomb-making in Somalia.
Naval warships generally monitor such hijacked ships very closely and it is difficult to unload cargo without proper port facilities. Using fertilizer to make bombs also requires some expertise and the Somali Islamists have not used such bombs before.

Ayhan Ugurlubay, a spokesman for the Turkey-based Karya shipping company, said officials received a distress signal from the Frigia early Tuesday but have had no contact with the ship since then.

The ship was carrying fertilizer from Israel and was heading for Thailand, he said. The ship had 19 Turks and two Ukrainians on board.

“We carried out all the required procedures. The ship sailed through the dangerous zone in a convoy, escorted by [Turkish navy frigates] the Gediz and Gelibolu,” he told Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news agency.

“The incident occurred one and a half days after it left the naval convoy ... It is the first time that a ship has been kidnapped so far away,” he said.

Frigia: Garanti bulker hijacked closer to India

Frigia IMO: 7507485
Malta flagged Turkish owned (Garanti Finansal Kiralama, a subsidiarty of Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS, Istambul) cargo ship MV FRIGIA, deadweight 35,000 tonnes. The captain of Malta-flagged Frigia reported March 23 AM to the ship’s owner that pirates were on board while the vessel was traveling from Egypt to Thailand. The ship was 450 n-miles outside the area where the anti-piracy force operates about 1000 n-miles from Somalia, which is closer to India than Somalia. It was originally heading east, but is now heading west and appears to be heading towards Somalia. The vessel has a 21-member crew, made up of 19 Turks and two Ukrainians. The ship is carrying phosphates and potash,

Garanti Finansal Kiralama A.S. (Garanti Leasing) reflect the risky operating environment, the small size, limited business and geographic diversification, and weak wholesale funding profile of the company. Offsetting these negative factors are the company's ownership by, and strong expected financial support if needed, from Türkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. (Garanti; BB-/Negative/--), as well as its leading commercial position in its niche market, good asset quality, and strong management. The long-term rating on Garanti Leasing benefits from a one-notch uplift from its stand-alone credit quality, as Standard&Poor's Ratings Services considers it to be a strategically important subsidiary of Garanti. Garanti Leasing is the largest leasing company in Turkey.