VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) – Russia’s Gudzon shipping company, owner of the Russia-flagged Sevastopol cargo ship detained in South Korea’s port city of Busan, asks the Russian authorities to assist in the resolution of this situation, the company’s representative told Sputnik on Saturday.
“[According to the Busan administration’s letter,] the ship was detained under South Korea’s decision over the US sanctions against the Gudzon company. To resolve the issue, the Russian government should contact the government of South Korea … We hope that our government will notice the company that needs help because of the sanctions,” the representative said.
He noted that Sevastopol did not supply fuel to North Korea.
“There are no problems with supplies for the crew. Sevastopol has just finished being repaired, and it was to leave Busan around Monday. There are 12 crew members on board, and they are all right,” the representative added.
In turn, a representative of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia, Nikolai Sukhanov, told Sputnik that the union was ready to provide assistance to the sailors of Sevastopol. He also stressed that the union had had problems with the Gudzon company, which was deceiving its workers on some occasions.
In addition, Russia’s consul in Busan Roman Bykov told Sputnik that the South Korea side did not explain the reasons for the ship’s detention yet.
The document from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, on the basis of which the ship cannot leave the port, cites “no references to sanctions or political reasons,” according to the diplomat.
He added that the Russian Consulate General in Busan were currently trying to find out the reasons for detention.
In August, the South Korean Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that South Korea’s authorities were inspecting the vessel to verify whether it, per US claims, violated a ban on ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products with North Korea. Earlier in the day, a representative of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) told Sputnik that the Sevastopol ship has been detained in Busan, the move which could be linked with sanctions against Gudzon.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
