A passenger ferry hijacked by suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists is running out of fuel, Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım said, Today's Zaman reported.
The "Kartepe" ferry, hijacked by assailants who said they belonged to the PKK, demanded food and fuel, Yıldırım told the Anatolia news agency, nearly six hours after the ship was hijacked. He said authorities were in contact with captain of the ferry.
He also said it was not known what the hijackers planned. "Their intentions are not clear," he said.
There were reports suggesting that the hijackers intended to steer the ferry towards İmralı island in the Sea of Marmara, where PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is held in a high-security prison.
Ferry services in the Sea of Marmara were canceled as a precaution.