PRESS RELEASE

A Spanish court on November 10 laid an embargo on the Belize-flagged commercial ship Atlantic Star at the port of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, whose crew includes six Russian citizens, its captain S. I. Vinokurov among them.

The decision was taken due to the fact that the crew had not been paid wages by the ship owning company Lantrovision Limited and hiring company West Coast Line for several months. The seafarers refused to leave the ship without getting their money in full.

The Russian Embassy in Spain, on receipt of information about what is happening in early November, took up this problem by using its contacts with local partners, charities and shipping agents in Las Palmas. At the same time, the final decision now depends on the fulfillment by the ship owner of its immediate contractual obligations to the crew.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Russian seafarers have gotten into such situations; often at distant ports where there are no official Russian representatives.

The Foreign Ministry and overseas agencies will, of course, do their utmost to help seafarers in distress.

November 13, 2009