An oil tanker MT SEA SHARK Owned by United Arab Emirates (UAE) based company (Suezmax) was arrested in Egypt with 31 crew onboard.
According to the report sent the news agencies, the oil tanker which loaded crude oil at Kharg Island port terminal, Iran, then sailed to suez around October 2018, where the crews expected flag annual renewal.
While she sailed out for delivery of cargo, the vessel was arrested on November 2018 by Egyptian Navy for illegal entry of territory water. Though, as per the vessel captain (Mr Vitaliy Nesterenko), he said the ship had gone adrift and accidentally moved only about 2 nm into Egyptian waters, adding it was during heavily trafficked waters of Red sea.
Onboard the ship was 17 Ukrainian citizens, 2 Crimea seamen, 5 Philippines, 1 Azerbaijan, 1 Sri Lanka and 5 Indian.
The crews call news agencies, their embassies, to help in finding diplomatic way to release them since there contracts has expired and still vessel under detection they are not allowed by Egyptian authority to be relief.
Also, (see A contact hotline for seafarers open by IMB
However, according to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Arab Republic of Egypt “one crew member of the Sea Shark vessel got in contact with the Consular Service at Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (diplomatic office) and reported that their vessel had been detained by the authorities of Egypt for violating the border of Egypt”
In order to quickly resolve the issue, consular officer held a meeting at the Foreign Ministry of the Arab Republic of Egypt. ” As per the meeting, it was noted that the Ukrainian side had not been informed of the incident by local authorities in a proper day. A note verbale was sent with a request to provide official information why the Ukrainian sailors had been detained and accused; to assist in obtaining permission for the consul to visit the citizens of Ukraine on board the vessel”.
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According to the ship captain, the Egyptian authority doesn’t want to allow for crew change until the ship cargo is discharged. After several diplomatic efforts, the embassy requests are being considered by Egyptian authority. But it’s not clear if the agreement will be on Ukrainian crews only or including other 14 crews.
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