Maritime Transport Agency: Three Georgian sailors among detained in Libya
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, September 15
The Maritime Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia reports that three Georgian sailors are among the detained crew of the Turkish vessel sailing under the Tanzanian flag in Libya on August 30.
Mamuka Akhaladze, Head of the Maritime Transport Agency stated there were 11 crew members on board, from which three were Georgians, including the captain.
He said the Georgian side learnt about the incident only on Wednesday.
“The crew members are in preliminary detention. The investigation is underway. The detention is allegedly connected to illegal cargo. However, we have not yet verified the information. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also involved in the case and we are trying to verify the information," Akhaladze said.
He added the agency does not have information about the health conditions of the detained Georgian sailors.
“It's very hard to clarify something in Libya, but every agency is involved in the case and we are trying to verify the information at the international level," he noted.
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also commented on the issue, stating the inquiry is underway in connection with the Georgian sailors detained in Libya.
“We got this information on Wednesday and since then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been trying to obtain details," the press service of the Foreign Ministry said.
Libya Herald reports that the Turkish vessel sailing under the Tanzanian flag was detained due to smuggling cargo on the ship.
“Most likely, they were smuggling 1,160,000 liters of fuel,” the edition reports.
Libya Herald added that the crew members of the vessel were taken for questioning on August 20.
