Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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On November 7, 2024, the ships “CMS Pəhləvan,” “CMS İgid,” and “CMS-3,” operating under the Azerbaijani flag and managed by the Azerbaijan branch of Caspian Marine Services B.V., were forced into Eritrean territorial waters due to worsening weather conditions during their voyage from the Suez Canal to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Azernews reports, citing a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Ministry noted that despite prior contact with Eritrean port authorities, the entry into Eritrean 12-mile territorial waters was unauthorized and the ships were detained by the relevant Eritrean authority. Among the crew members of the detained ships, 18 are Azerbaijani citizens.

"After receiving initial information about the incident on November 7, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately took control of the situation and responded accordingly.

To address the issue, legal justification was provided to Eritrean authorities, stating that the entry into Eritrean territorial waters did not violate international legal norms. This was communicated through our embassies in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Russian Federation. Relevant meetings were also held at the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Eritrean embassies in Turkiye and Moscow.

Efforts are ongoing to resolve the issue, secure the release of the ships and crew, and provide necessary consular and legal assistance," the Ministry stated.