Turkish Cargo Ship Seized By Libyan National Army

Libya has seized a ship which it says entered a region that is banned. Added to this the ship crew didn’t respond to their call, the Libyan Navy alleged.

The ship intercepted by the eastern Libyan forces is a Jamaican flagged vessel that was headed to the Misrata port of Western Libya. Experts believe this incident could flag fresh conflict in the troubled region after weeks of truce.

Ship Investigated for Maritime Violations

The Jamaican flagged vessel Mabruka has violated maritime laws and regulations, said Libyan National Navy spokesman, Ahmed al-Mismari. Mabruka is currently under investigations for the said violations.

Representation Image – Credits: maritimejamaica.com

‘We approached the ship with boats and boarded it”

Apparently, the ship entered the prohibited area without permission and the captain didn’t follow the procedures.

Mismari further added that the ship was towed to Ras Al-Hilal port as its crew didn’t respond after entering the banned area.

Ship To Be Released Soon

The alleged ship was reportedly carrying medicines to Libya from Egypt when it was intercepted. Sources reveal that the ship will be released soon as patients requiring medicines and blood samples in Libya are waiting for the medicinal products. Moreover, it is clear that the ship isn’t carrying any weapons so it isn’t right to seize it anymore.

The Long Drawn Libyan Conflict

Mabruka has a Turkish crew, a country which backs Libya’s National Accord Government known as GNA which has been in prolonged conflict with the Libyan National Army, LNA. The vessel has a 17 member crew- of which 9 are Turkish, 7 are Indians and a Azerbaijan sailor.

Countries like the UAE, Egypt and Russia back LNA. From 2011 onwards, Libya has been in a state of turmoil. The country became a playing field of rival proxy forces since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown.

Earlier in October, both GNA and LNA signed a ceasefire deal as the UN wanted to open dialogue for elections next year in order to end the conflicts in the region. However, despite signing truce, both sides didn’t withdraw forces from the frontline.

The interception of Mabruka bears testimonial to that. Meanwhile Mismari has suggested that Turkey allegedly supplied arms to GNA. UN experts on the other hand has warned foreigner supporters of both sides that they are breaching the Libya arms embargo

Reference: aljazeera.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News