The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced late on December 21 that its naval forces had seized a Grenada-flagged vessel manned by a Turkish crew.
The vessel was raided off the coast of the Libyan coastal city of Derna, within the exclusive naval zone drawn by the recent maritime agreement between Turkey and the Libyan Governorate of National Accord (GNA).
“The ship was towed to the Ras al-Hilal port to inspect, verify its cargo and take internationally recognized procedures in such cases,” Gen. Ahmed al-Mismari, a spokesman for the LNA, said in a short press release.
The LNA’s media office released a video showing the seizure of the ship by the Fighting Naval Company Susah. The army also released photos of the crew’s Turkish IDs.
Turkey has not commented on the issue, so far. Earlier this month, the Turkish military deployed combat drones in Northern Cyprus to escort Turkish vessels and drilling ships sailing in eastern Mediterranean.
A senior commander of the LNA had warned that the Libyan Navy will seize or sunk any Turkish vessel that would attempt to smuggle “weapons or terrorists” to areas held by GNA forces in northwest Libya.
