Libyan forces intercept Turkish cargo ship

A Jamaica-flagged, Turkish-owned cargo ship has been detained by Libyan National Army (LNA) forces off Derna, a port city in eastern Libya.

This was confirmed on 7 December by Ahmed al-Mismari, spokesman of LNA, on his Twitter account.

The ship has been identified as the 712 TEU Mabrooka. Data provided by VesselsValue shows that it is owned by Turkey’s shipping company Aswan Shipping Denizcilik.

While en route to the port of Misrata, the vessel was intercepted because it reportedly entered the restricted waters off the Green Mountain region and failed to respond to calls from the Libyan navy. The ship was then towed to Ras Al-Hilal port.

Mabrooka is being investigated due to violations of maritime regulations and laws, according to al-Mismari.

There were nine crew members on board the Feedermax including nine Turks, seven Indians and one Azerbaijani seafarer. No further details have been shared.

“The waters offshore of Derna are the highest risk in Libya, due to the history of incidents and vessels detained. Vessels are advised to maintain caution when transiting this region and maintain at least 50nm offshore,” Dryad Global said referring to the latest incident.

“Tensions are rising in Libya over the presence of Turkish warships offshore of Misrata, which has prompted a mobilisation of both LNA and GNA forces towards Sirte.”