Summary The Turkish foreign ministry said that it had protested to the Libyan authorities
ANKARA (AFP) - One seaman was killed and several wounded when a Cook Islands-flagged cargo ship belonging to a Turkish company came under attack off the coast of Libya, the Turkish foreign ministry said Monday.
The ministry said the vessel was shelled Sunday from the coast 13 nautical miles off the eastern Libyan port of Tobruk and then twice came under air attack.
"The third captain of the ship lost his life, several of the crew were injured and the ship was damaged," the foreign ministry statement said.
It did not give details on who may have attacked the ship, which had been travelling to Libya with a cargo of gypsum from Spain.
Libya, which is awash with weapons and armed factions following the toppling and death of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, has two rival governments and parliaments.
The government in the east, which no longer controls Tripoli but is recognised by the international community, regularly accuses Turkey and Qatar of backing its Islamist rivals.
The Turkish foreign ministry said that it had protested to the Libyan authorities over the "atrocious" attack and called on them to ensure the safety of all vessels in the region.
"We strongly condemn this cowardly attack carried out against a civilian ship in international waters," the foreign ministry said.
