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Crew of Russian ship detained in Ukraine thwarts two attempts of illegal entry — company

On August 10, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) blocked the Russian vessel at the port of Kherson, saying that its owner had been blacklisted by Kiev

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. The crew of Russia’s Mekhanik Pogodin tanker, illegally kept at Ukraine’s port city of Kherson, has prevented two groups of people from illegally entering the ship, the owner said on Friday.

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Authorities once again prohibit Russian tanker from leaving Ukrainian port

"Provocative actions, aimed at illegally entering the ship, have begun on behalf of Ukraine’s governmental agencies. At 13:30 on August 16, a group of people claiming to be officers of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and border guards tried to enter the ship with an intention to inspect it. They did not explained the purpose of the inspection and provided no documents, The group was not allowed to enter the ship," the V.F.Tanker company said in a statement.

"Almost immediately after, a group of ‘environmentalists’ comprising 11 people arrived to the ship. The number of personnel was way above the normal number of officials sent for environmental inspections. The group was not allowed to enter the ship, due to the lack of legal grounds and in order to prevent possible provocations," the statement reads.

The company said that the vessel had been illegally held in the port of Kherson for six days, and was still trying to get a permission to leave. The Austrian cargo owner notified customs authorities about its plans not to unload the cargo and leave the port on Tuesday.

"Complaints about the inaction of governmental bodies, filed by the ship’s owner, have been sent to border and customs authorities and to the port administration. At the ship owner’s request, a representative of the Russian Consulate General, who visited the ship, pledged to sort out the situation and render the necessary support in accordance with his powers," V.F.Tanker said.

On August 10, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) blocked the Russian vessel at the port of Kherson, saying that its owner had been blacklisted by Kiev. The vessel’s captain said earlier that the tanker was shipping diesel fuel from Turkmenistan to Ukraine under a freightage contract in the interests of Canada’s Oil Marine Shipping and Chartering, while Unicredit Bank Austria was the cargo manager at the Kherson port.

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