Foreign Ministry in talks to release Sri Lankans among oil tanker crew detained by Equatorial Guinea

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is working closely with the relevant parties for the early release of 08 Sri Lankan nationals who are parts of the 26-member crew of the oil tanker MT Heroic Idun, which was detained by Equatorial Guinea in early August. 

The sailors were taken into custody in international waters on August 12 allegedly for not displaying the flag of Equatorial Guinea and have been in detention for more than 80 days ever since. In a statement, the vessel’s managers OSM Maritime said the MT Heroic Idun was supposed to load an oil consignment from Akpo terminal in Nigeria in early August. 

A few days later, at the request of Nigerian navy, the vessel was interdicted in international waters by a naval vessel from Equatorial Guinea. As per documents filed in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the Equatorial Guinea navy has followed a maritime code of conduct and detained the vessel on an alert sent by the Nigerian naval vessel. 

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Navy says it is conducting investigations into the alleged activities of the oil tanker MT Heroic Idun including oil theft. OSM Maritime alleged that the sailors were escorted to Malabo – the capital of Equatorial Guinea – at gunpoint. The vessel’s manager stated that a fine was paid at the end of September against a promise of release of the vessel and its crew. 

Meanwhile, Capt Rajesh Trehan, a retired mariner and father-in-law of the ship’s master Capt Tanuj Mehta, told the BBC that everyone was under the impression that the crew and the ship would be released once the fine was paid to Equatorial Guinea on 28 September.