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Crew of Russian freighter detained in France allowed to come ashore, embassy says

According to him, there were 19 people aboard the ship

PARIS, February 26. /TASS/. The crew of Russia’s Baltic Leader vessel detained in France was allowed to come ashore, the freighter’s fate will be determined in court, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Paris Alexander Makogonov told a TASS correspondent.

According to him, there were 19 people aboard the ship. "The crew that came ashore is allowed to freely move about the city," he said. That said, the diplomat stated that there is no information yet on the crew’s accommodations in France.

The incident occurred at 07:00 local time (09:00 Moscow time) in France’s territorial waters. Two coast guard motorboats accompanied the freighter to a port in Boulogne-sur-Mer, formally for a customs inspection. "Later, it became known that the French authorities were interested in the vessel’s paperwork which turned out to belong to the PSB Leasing company that, according to the local coast guard police, is included in the US financial sanctions list," he said.

The embassy spokesman specified that currently the vessel is detained and "the decision on its future fate will be made in court." "The embassy will send a note of protest to the French Foreign Ministry and will undertake the necessary measures to protect the rights and interests of Russian sailors," he added.

As France Presse reported earlier, citing the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea, the freighter sailing under the Russian flag was carrying a cargo of new automobiles from Rouen to St. Petersburg. According to La Voix du Nord newspaper, the decision to detain it was made by the Secretariat General for the Sea but this information and the formal reasons for the freighter’s detention have not yet been confirmed to a TASS correspondent,.

The press service of the PSB Leasing company told TASS that the Baltic Leader vessel did not belong to it. "The Russian commercial vessel intercepted by the French authorities in the English Channel overnight on February 26 does not belong to PSB Leasing," the press service said, noting that the vessel was bought out by the owner before the introduction of sanctions in accordance with the leasing contract.

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