Russia Demands Swift Release of Its Detained TankerMoscow demands "the swift release" of the Russian tanker and its crew detained in the Persian Gulf, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on April 7.The U.S. Navy's warships detained the Russian tanker Akademik Pustovoit in the Persian Gulf on Thursday evening on suspicion of smuggling embargoed Iraqi oil. "We demand the swift release of the ship and its crew," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko on Friday. "Of course, if it turns out the ship was detained groundlessly, the Foreign Ministry will support the pertinent claims against the U.S.-led multinational naval force for damages incurred," he said. "According to our information, the tanker, owned by the Russian Novorossiisk shipping company, was detained on Thursday night by U. S.naval forces operating in the Persian Gulf in line with U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iraq," said the spokesman. "Our position is that there must be an immediate and impartial investigation in order to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident," he said. "Naturally, the Foreign Ministry's priority is to see to the safety and well-being of Russian citizens," he added. Moscow has been able to maintain uninterrupted communications with the captain of the tanker. Russian diplomatic and consular officials in the region have received the necessary orders, he said. The U.S. Navy detained the tanker once before in the Persian Gulf,during its last voyage with a cargo of oil on March 1. However, no violations were found and the ship was released, said the Russian Transportation Ministry. Another Russian tanker, Volgoneft-147, owned by the Russian company SFAT, was detained by the U.S. Navy on February 2 and charged with smuggling Iraqi oil in violation of U.N. sanctions. To the present day there has been no final determination of the actual origins of the tanker's cargo. |
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