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Murmansk-based ship with 19 Russians aboard arrested in Denmark

Their further plight is uncertain

TASS, September 2. The Novaya Zemlya ship belonging to the Murmansk Shipping Company [MSCO] that has 19 Russian citizens among the crew was arrested off Cape Skagen in northern Denmark, the Russian Seamen’s Trade Union said quoting Sergei Fishov, a coordinator of the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

"There are 19 Russian citizens aboard and their further plight, like the plight of many other seamen, is uncertain," Fishov said. "The thing is The Novaya Zemlya is not the first MSCO vessel arrested abroad."

The motorship Zapolyarye got into a similar situation in July off the shores of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the Moroccan coast. One more ship of the company that got into the same situation was The Severnaya Zemlya.

"Over a month and a half since then, the MSCO has managed to bring only six seamen back home while the destiny of others is still unclear," Fishov said. "The situation involves 80 Russian seamen as a minimum."

"Unfortunately, officials at the International Transport Workers’ Federation note the MSCO executives’ reluctance to establish contacts," he said. "Not infrequently, they simply ignore any questions about the company’s plans for pulling out of the crises.".