MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has seized a ship sailing under the flag of an African country in Odessa along with 17 crew members.
The SBU said on Telegram that the ship’s arrest is linked to its alleged previous entries into the port of Sevastopol. The captain and 16 other crew members were on board, all of them citizens of several Middle Eastern countries.
The SBU conducted searches and opened a criminal case under four articles at once, including treason and violation of entry and exit regulations.
This is not the first time Ukrainian authorities have detained foreign merchant ships, accusing them of having transported cargo from the port of Sevastopol. In April, the SBU arrested a dry cargo vessel under the flag of an Asian country, with the crew also being detained.