Tefin LLC, the owner of the arrested Mriya tanker, has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Chief Ivan Bakanov to interfere in the situation.
According to the Tefin’s statement, the text of which was made available to Interfax-Ukraine, the actions of law enforcement agencies inflict losses on the company and its partners, and can also lead to an international trade scandal.
“Unlawful actions by SBU employees violate the rights of the foreign owner of the fuel transported by the Mriya tanker and set a precedent for the state of Ukraine to violate international legal norms,” the company said.
Tefin is challenging the actions of the SBU in courts. Separately, statements are being prepared to international trade and maritime organizations.
The Mriya vessel was acquired, imported into Ukraine and registered in accordance with all procedures and payment of all dues. We were proud that while others were hiding ships and business in offshore, we officially and legally replenished the tanker fleet of Ukraine and operated essentially under the Ukrainian flag. Until this time, the vessel repeatedly called at the ports of Ukraine, because it worked as intended and did not receive any remarks from law enforcement agencies,” the company said.
As reported, on August 10, 2019, during a criminal investigation into a violation of the order of entry/exit into the temporarily occupied territory, Prosecutor General’s Office for Crimea searched Mriya in Kherson. In June 2015, the same ship, but under the name “Vilga,” supplied fuel for units of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Russia-occupied Sevastopol.
Since then, the ship owner of the Vilga tanker has changed several times, and since 2015 Tefin LLC has become its owner, which, upon purchase from the former owners, has received a conclusion that there are no claims to the tanker from the law enforcement and customs authorities of Ukraine.
Kherson City Court on August 13 refused to arrest Mriya, but the PGO appealed the decision.
On August 19, the Kherson Court of Appeal granted the appeal of the prosecutor’s office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported about the enforcement of the court decision and the arrest of the tanker on August 20.
