Ukraine detained a cargo ship entering the occupied Crimea: details

The Cameroonian-flagged ship was sailing from the Moldovan port of Giurgiulesti.

A foreign vessel was detained on the Danube River, which, violating the legislation of Ukraine, entered Crimea occupied by Russia for commercial purposes. Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported this .

“Subordinate structures of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine detained a cargo ship, which, contrary to Ukrainian and international legislation, entered Ukrainian ports occupied by Russia for commercial purposes. It was detained in compliance with all relevant procedures,” he emphasized .

Pletenchuk added that his statement made on social networks is an official comment.

“Ignoring the legal requirements of Ukraine in the Black Sea will not work,” the spokesman summed up.

According to Lloyd’s List , a foreign vessel was detained while traveling down the Danube River because it was illegally crossing the national borders of Ukraine and transporting cargo to and from Russian-occupied Sevastopol.

“Cameroon-flagged cargo ship Usko Mfu (IMO: 7919781) of 4,127 dwt was en route from the Moldovan port of Giurgiulesti when a ship approached it and forced it to anchor in the Ukrainian port of Reni… Agent and shipbroker say Usko Mfu was intercepted by a military boat , when he was in Romanian waters,” the report said.

At the same time, it is noted that the Danube is a narrow water artery, and the specific section that Usko Mfu was passing borders both Romania and Ukraine.

“The analysis of intelligence data by Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows that the Usko Mfu passed between Ukrainian and Romanian waters, heading downstream,” the newspaper writes.

The ship was loaded with barley, the destination was Souda (Greece).

It is noteworthy that in the period from May 22 to June 5, the captain disabled the automatic identification system, due to which the vessel’s movement was not tracked on online maps. At the same time, thanks to the satellite photo, it was established that at this time Usko Mfu made a stop near Kamishova Bay in Sevastopol.

A court document issued by the Ukrainian government and reviewed by Lloyd’s List states that the arrest of Usko Mfu was made at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

(C)UNIAN 2024