Lebanon port authorizes departure of ship seized over Ukraine claims

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Aug 2022 21:06
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Lebanon's Public Works and Transport Minister says a Syrian ship carrying grain that was seized over Kiev's claims would be allowed to travel to Syria.

The Laodicea ship

Lebanon's Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamie announced Wednesday that the port of Tripoli authorized the departure of a Syrian ship carrying grain that was seized over Kiev's claims that it carried grain and flour stolen from Ukraine.

On Twitter, Hamie said that the ship, named Laodicea, would be allowed to travel to Syria in accordance with the Lebanese legal principles, based on the country's sovereignty over its land, sea, and airspace.

السماح للباخرة LAODICEA السورية الأتية من روسيا الاتحادية مرورا بلبنان إلى سوريا بالمغادرة من قبل رئاسة مرفأ طرابلس وذلك وفقاً للأصول القانونية اللبنانية انطلاقاً من سيادتنا على برنا وبحرنا وجونا pic.twitter.com/BZwiNYM8Qo
— Ali Hamie | علي حمية (@alihamie_lb) August 3, 2022

Reuters cited the Lebanese judge who had issued the seizure order for the ship as saying that it would be allowed to leave.

Lebanon clears ship claimed to carry stolen Ukrainian grain

On Tuesday, an official confirmed that Lebanon's top prosecutor cleared the Syrian-flagged ship to be released.

Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat instructed police to investigate the Laodicea, which docked in Tripoli on July 29, a judicial official said.

Oueidat "ordered the seizure of the ship until the investigation is completed," the official said as quoted by AFP.

The cargo of the Laodicea had "nothing wrong", according to a senior Lebanese customs official, and its papers were in order.

"Preliminary investigations... did not reveal the existence of a criminal offense, or that the goods were stolen," the official indicated on condition of anonymity.

Ukrainian claims

Ukraine's Embassy in Lebanon had claimed that the grain on board was loaded from a region that the Russian forces occupy, claiming that it presented Lebanese authorities with evidence that the merchandise was stolen.

On Saturday, Oueidat ordered the ship's seizure and the police to investigate, but the prosecutor found that the grain on board belonged to a Syrian merchant, the judicial official pointed out.

"The Syrian national whose name is on the shipment from Ukraine came in for investigation and presented the papers and documents that prove his ownership," the official mentioned on Tuesday.

Russian Embassy in Beirut denies any knowledge of disputed grain ship

On its part, the Russian Embassy in Beirut denied any knowledge of Laodicea from the moment it set off for sailing to the moment it docked in Tripoli, Lebanon, affirming that there is no official line of communication between Russia and the vessel.

The Embassy went on to say that Laodicea bears the trademark of a private company that legally purchased grain and barley, according to information provided to the Embassy, which also provided that several private Turkish companies are partners in this ship.

The Ukrainian Embassy released a statement saying it will inform Lebanon of a decision issued by the Ukrainian court to seize the ship and confiscate its cargo, contending that Laodicea is on the list of ships accused of stealing grains from Ukraine.

The Syrian ship, according to the Ukrainian Embassy, is sanctioned by the US and holds 5,000 tons of wheat and 5,000 tons of barley.

Lebanon received Western warnings

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib reported that Lebanon received warnings from Western nations after the Syrian ship docked in Tripoli with its cargo that Ukraine claims Russia "stole".

The day the ship docked, an official at a Turkey-based grains trading company denied Ukrainian claims, contending that the source was Russia.

The official, who works for Loyal Agro Co LTD, told Reuters that the company had sought to bring 5,000 tons of flour to Lebanon to sell to private customers, and not to the Lebanese government.