Illegal export of agricultural products through occupied Crimea: Captain of vessel arrested in port of Reni was served notice of suspicion. PHOTO
The captain of the foreign vessel USKO MFU, which was exporting agricultural products through the closed seaports of the occupied Crimean peninsula, was served a notice of suspicion in absentia.
This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, Censor.NET reports.
As noted, the captain is charged with violation of the procedure for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine (Part 2 of Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation established that in October 2023, a foreign citizen, operating the USKO MFU flying the flag of Cameroon, in violation of Ukrainian legislation and international maritime law, illegally entered the Sevastopol Commercial Sea Port, which was closed by Ukraine. There, the vessel was loaded with more than 3,000 tonnes of agricultural products destined for a Turkish company.
In November 2023, the suspect illegally departed the USKO MFU from the port of Sevastopol. In order to conceal his illegal activities, the captain periodically switched off the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which is a violation of maritime safety, and entered fictitious information about the ship's course.
In July 2024, the USKO MFU was detained in the waters of the port of Reni, Odesa region. Based on a court order, it was seized and transferred to the management of the ARMA.
It is also reported that the other captain of the vessel, who in June 2024 was in charge of it during the illegal entry and exit from the port of Sevastopol, was served a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine in July 2024.