Greek authorities have appealed for the release of both the Ukrainian captain and the crew of the “Mekong Spirit”.
What happened?
Captain Sergii Nevecheria, 61, was arrested on May 23 by the Greek authorities when the ship transited the Greek territorial waters bound to the Suez Canal.
Arrested due to suspicious cargo:
Shortly after a stop at the port of Smyrna, the “Mekong Spirit” was arrested by the Greek Coast Guard, which escorted the ship to Souda naval base in Crete.
Capt. Sergii Nevecheria, with 40 years of service at sea, has never been accused of any illegal action. The Greek authorities claimed that Nevecheria did not report on the ship’s cargo under IMO regulations and argued that the cargo was containing explosives for use in mines, as well as cartridges for hunting and recreational weapons destined for a port in Sudan, which violated the international sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the European Union.
IMO norms violated:
According to the European Maritime Safety Agency EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency), for the carriage of cargo subject to IMO regulations, Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) must be informed. The “Mekong Spirit” has complied with the reporting obligations. The company claimed, however, that on the ship’s journey from the port of Smyrna to the point where the voyage was interrupted by the Greek Coast Guard, there was no VTS point and, furthermore, the ship did not stop at any Greek port. Consequently, there was no legal or logical obligation to inform, such as the Greek authorities.
Company vouches for authenticity of cargo:
According to the company, the cargo, destined for the port of Sudan, was part of a legitimate commercial transaction between companies legally operating in Turkey and Sudan, and none of these companies was restricted nor included in any list of sanctions. Lumar has submitted corporate documents, end-user certificates as well as import licenses to the judicial authorities for both the shipper in Turkey and the consignee in Sudan. The ship was chartered by Varamar.
Lumar SA is a shipping company based in Switzerland. Its commercial offices are located in Barcelona, while technical support, while technical support, shipping and crew offices are located in Tallinn. The company was established in 1994 and was active in the maritime transport of aluminum and nonferrous metal cargoes between the Baltic countries.
The captain is in Greek prison and has now been in custody for six weeks, while the 16-member crew was being held on board the ship at the Souda naval base in Crete.
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Source: Ναυτικά Χρονικά
