A spokesman for the group of pirates holding an arms-laden tanker off the coast of Somalia has threatened to blow up the ship in three days if no ransom is paid.

The national corvette program, MILGEM, which seeks to build a modern combat warship using extensive stealth technology, launched the warship Heybeliada and minesweeper Akçay in Istanbul on Saturday.

Sulfur emissions are a major source of airborne fine particulates, which have been associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. In some ports in Europe and in the United States, environmental groups, using the courts, and local governmental bodies have required ships to shut off their engines and plug in to the local electrical grid to keep ship operations functioning while in port.