A Turkish ship transporting medicine to Libya’s port of Misrata was detained early on Dec. 8 by forces loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.
Haftar’s forces detained the vessel and its 17 crew members, including nine Turkish citizens, claiming they did not comply with instructions.
Ahmed Al-Mismari, Haftar’s spokesman, said on his social media account that the Jamaican-flagged commercial cargo ship Mebruka, whose owner is stated to be a Turk, was caught by Haftar’s militia. The militia claims the ship entered a prohibited area and did not respond to calls and withdrew to the port of Ras al-Hilal.
Al-Mismari added that the ship was "investigated and inspected because it violated maritime rules and laws.”
He also told the Al-Hadath television channel that the ship was loaded with drugs to be taken to Misrata but entered the forbidden area.
Claiming they made a call to the ship but did not receive a response, Mismari said: "We approached the ship with boats and boarded it”
The captain did not follow the procedures and the ship entered the prohibited area without permission, he said, adding there were no weapons on board.
According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency, the crew are in good condition.
Sources said the procedure has been applied to other ships in the region but no ships have been seized and a penalty was foreseen for entering the wrong area.
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Eastern-based Libyan forces have intercepted a Turkish ship under a Jamaican flag heading to the port of Misrata in western Libya, their spokesman said, in what could be a new flashpoint in the conflict after weeks of truce.
ReplyDeleteThe vessel, called Mabruka, was “being investigated for its violations of maritime laws and regulations,” Ahmed al-Mismari, spokesman for the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) said late on Monday on his social media account.
Ankara has condemned the seizure of a Turkish vessel in the Mediterranean by forces from east Libya, promising a robust response to the interception and calling for the ship to be allowed to continue its journey.
Delete“Targeting Turkish interests in Libya will have grave consequences, and these elements (who target Turkish interests) will be viewed as legitimate targets,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry “strongly condemned” the move, stressing that the vessel should be allowed resume its planned voyage “immediately,” and adding that the ship had been fined and the crew detained.