Armed men boarded crude oil tanker MT Badr, on 21 December, in Bulgaria forcing the vessel’s captain and crew to disembark the ship. Some of the men were claiming to be Bulgarian border police.
According to the General National Maritime Transport Company of Libya (GNMTC), owner of the vessel, the armed men did not provide any legal documentation, court order or warrant to justify this action.
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In fact, the company mentioned that the crew were ordered to disembark the ship at gunpoint and under threat of violence. After that, the ship’s communications were cut, leaving its owners with no signs of its location.
GNMTC stated that this is a criminal act, and it contravenes a ruling of the Bulgarian Supreme Court, which ordered the Vessel’s release in January of 2018.
According to the company, this order was ignored by the Port Authority of Burgas, something that means that the vessel has since been improperly detained.
