Abkhaz authorities try to help neglected crew of Turkish freighter

SUKHUM, August 21 (Itar-Tass) -- The Abkhaz authorities are trying to
do their best to help the crew of a neglected Turkish freighter return to
Turkey. The ship flying the flag of Sierra Leone pulled into Sukhum Harbor
in early July, and after unloading the delivered goods it remained at
anchor. The ship has technical problems and no fuel for the return trip to
the Turkish port. There are ten crewmembers on board: four Syrian
nationals, five Turks, and one Azerbaijani citizen.
On Friday journalists were given the opportunity to visit the ship and
meet with the members of the crew, who complained that they were left to
their fate, and expressed gratitude to the Abkhaz authorities and ordinary
citizens of for helping them with food and drinking water.
They flatly denied Turkish media rumors the Abkhazian authorities do
not release the ship back to Turkey. The crewmembers complained that the
management of the Turkish company that owns the freighter is not available
for contact and the previously promised aid has not arrived to this day.
"On the Abkhaz side there are no problems, the ship is unable to leave
only because its owners have not provided it with fuel for the return
voyage, or any means of sustenance for the crew," said the director of the
state administration for transportation and communication of Abkhazia,
Valery Papba. According to the official, the government decided to assist
the ship's crew, to fill the tanks with fuel and send back. "We would like
to have a word with the owners, but no one on the Turkish side can be
contacted," he said.
Papba said that was not the first such case. The same ship was already
in Abkhazia once, and the same problem with fuel arose. The Abkhaz
shipping company fueled it and let leave for home.
Papba told the crew that the Abkhaz authorities were prepared to pay
for their return to Turkey via Sochi. However, the sailors refused to
leave the ship, hoping for a solution.

-0-str