Ship suspected of carrying stolen Ukrainian grain detained in Lebanon - Ukrainian ambassador

This was announced by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Lebanon, Ihor Ostash, Krym.Realii reports. 

The diplomat said that the Ukrainian embassy promptly responded to the appearance of a ship with grain in the port of Tripoli, and is now seeking an examination of this grain. Earlier, the project of Radio Svoboda Krym.Realii recorded it in the seaport of Feodosia. 

"Regarding the confirmation that this grain is Ukrainian: of course, in order to confirm it, it is necessary to carry out an examination, and for this, accordingly, it is necessary that there be a court decision and that the vessel be arrested. We already have such a court decision, and we will start the legal process. And an element of that, of course, will be research and expertise. We want to take samples of this grain for examination to establish whether it is grain of Ukrainian origin. Today, there is no other way", Ihor Ostash said.

The ambassador of Ukraine  to Lebanon emphasized that the ship cannot unload grain and is currently in the port of Tripoli.

"Now the ship is detained, it is not unloaded. There is also a corresponding response from the US Embassy in Lebanon, because this ship is under the sanctions of the United States and falls under their so-called Caesar Law. Therefore, the ship is not moving yet, it remains in port, and it is very important for us to have access to it", the Ukrainian ambassador said.

Data on the presence of the ship LAODICEA in the port of Tripoli is confirmed by the Marine Traffic website, which shows the history of the routes and the location of the vessels in real time. It is reported that the cargo ship arrived in Tripoli from the Turkish port of Izmir.

As Reuters clarifies with reference to a representative of the diplomatic mission, in case of confiscation of the cargo, Ukraine will be ready to negotiate the terms of its transfer to Lebanon.