Three Azerbaijani vessels fall into captivity in Eritrea Crews short on food for two months

Three Azerbaijani vessels, along with their crews, have been detained in the territorial waters of Eritrea, located in northeastern Africa.

The vessels, which were en route from Baku to Saudi Arabia, were forced to divert from their course due to adverse weather conditions and ended up near Eritrean shores. As of now, the vessels have been stranded for nearly two months without sufficient food and are effectively being held hostage.

On November 7, 2024, the branch of Caspian Marine Services B.V. in Azerbaijan informed the agency about the detention of three vessels belonging to this company by the authorized bodies of the state of Eritrea, Parvana Imanova, head of the press service of the State Maritime and Port Agency of Azerbaijan, told Caliber.Az.

"The agency immediately informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an operational manner. We also sent official letters to the authorized body of the state of Eritrea in the field of maritime transport, as well as to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the permanent representative of Eritrea to the IMO, and the embassy in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," Imamova said.

Further clarification was provided by Mehman Mehdiyev, head of the press service of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO), who confirmed that the detained ships do not belong to ASCO:

"We are receiving numerous alarming messages from sailors and their families. Just as misinformation does, fake photographs also confuse them," Mehdiyev emphasized.

By Khagan Isayev