Fuel Supply Maldives Private Limited (FSM) has revealed the crew of the two barges held at Eritrea has been brought back to the Maldives.
FSM stated that the two barges had been on their maiden voyage from Egypt to the Maldives when they ran into bad weather, technical trouble with the steering wheel of one of the vessels, and illness among the crew leading them to make an emergency entry to Eritrea on April 26. However, the barges were captured and the crew detained for illegal entry to Eritrea.
FSM said the two barges entered Eritrea after multiple failed attempts to contact the country’s port. FSM detailed that the crew comprises of four Maldivians and four Egyptians. The crew was brought back to Maldives on June 2. FSM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives undertook efforts to grant clearance to the barges and the crew.
In 2019, FSM signed a contract to procure four barges from an Egypt-based company. Two of the barges were brought to the Maldives last year and FSM will soon receive the other two vessels. The two barges have a capacity of 250,000 litres. Each of these vessels costs about USD713,359 to build.
FSM and the foreign ministry are working together to bring the two vessels to the Maldives.