Nigeria has been dragged to the international court by Swiss authorities over the detention of its vessel, San Padre Pio.
The
Nigerian navy in Bonny, Rivers state, had arrested the ship on
January 23, 2018 as the oil tanker, registered with canton Vaud
shipping company ABC Maritime, and its crew members were detained for
alleged diesel smuggling, and violation of Nigeria’s territorial
waters.
The
navy then handed over the vessel and those arrested to the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Switzerland
had made diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the ship but
nothing fruitful came out of that.
In
a statement, the Swiss foreign ministry said on May 21, it requested
the International Tribunal in charge of the law of the sea to order
Nigeria to release the vessel, its crew and cargo.
The
Swiss ministry said the ship and the cargo had been losing their
value, causing damage to the companies involved.
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