Authorities in Switzerland have begun
planning legal action against the Nigerian government for seizing and
detaining a Swiss-flagged oil tanker in January last year.
Reports by various online maritime
websites said San Padre Pio and four of its original 16 crewmembers, all
of whom are Ukrainian nationals, had since remained under Nigerian
government custody in the Bay of Biafra for alleged diesel smuggling and
illegal entry into Nigerian territorial waters.
The 12 other crewmembers were released a
month and a half following their seizure by Nigerian authorities.
However, the four crewmembers who remained in the country had been
reportedly enduring “difficult” living conditions, the Swiss Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
The decision to file the case with the
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea came after diplomatic
efforts by the Swiss government failed to ensure the release of the
vessel and its remaining crew.
The Foreign Ministry decried the seizure
and subsequent detention of San Padre Pio and its crew as “a violation
of international law” and stated that Switzerland should exhaust all
options “to safeguard its interests.”
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