The crew of Mekong Spirit, which was arrested in Greece on suspicion of smuggling, will return home the following days.
According to the court decision, 12 out of 16 Ukrainian sailors will be able to leave the country. The main condition is compulsory monthly registration at the Consulate General of Greece in Odessa.
The remaining crew members - the captain, the chief officer and two sailors - will remain Greece until all the circumstances are clarified.
«These 14 months were extremely difficult. Serious diplomatic negotiations were held at the level of the two countries - Ukraine and Greece. I had to connect serious lawyers. And today, fortunately, we have achieved a fair court decision in favor of Ukrainian sailors,» , - said the head of the Boumbouras Foundation, the Honorary Consul of Greece Pantelis Boumbouras.
«For more than a year we kept our finger on the pulse. In addition to lawyers, it was necessary to provide psychological support. The ship was actually left without supplies of food, medicine and clean water. This could lead to serious problems. We found an opportunity and rented a house a 15-minute walk from the port of Lavrio. The crew had the opportunity to sleep in human conditions. But it was impossible for all of them to leave the ship at the same time. Therefore, they had to come up with a schedule», - added the philanthropist.
At the moment, the issue of the remaining in Greece 4 crew members is being negotiated.
«As far as I know, the fate of the remaining seamen in Greece is now being decided. They can not stay on board of the Mekong Spirit. The vessel was arrested. The shipowner disappeared. For our part, we are ready to support the sailors and help them with housing and food. We will not abandon them», - summed up Pantelis Boumbouras.
We remind you that the container ship Mekong Spirit was detained by Greek law enforcement officers 14 months ago on suspicion of smuggling weapons. The ship is in the port of Lavrio (60 km from Athens).
Совсем скоро 12 украинских моряков из Одессы вернутся домой.Видео комментарий членов экипажа судна Mekong Spirit из Греции.
Опубліковано Фонд Бумбураса/Ίδρυμα Μπούμπουρα Середа, 25 липня 2018 р.
