The foreign vessel N35 kept detained at the Port of Guamache of Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela. Photo: Instagram/@redi.main.
The vessel intercepted by Venezuelan authorities in recent days in Venezuelan territorial waters, carrying out scientific research and marine and underwater exploration, was flying the Panamanian flag, reported the commander of the Maritime and Insular Defense Region, Admiral José Rafael Hernández Abchi.
He explained that the vessel was first sighted on May 28 by the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) during maritime patrols for surveillance and control of the Venezuelan territorial waters.
“The Bolivarian National Armed Force detected a vessel… flying the Panamanian flag, which was sailing in the exclusive economic zone with projection towards Delta Amacuro state at about 43 miles from the straight line.”
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After 12 days of monitoring, FANB personnel boarded the vessel, which was in jurisdictional waters of the Venezuelan Atlantic coast, and inspected it in accordance with the provisions of international maritime law and other legal regulations in force.
Admiral Hernández Abchi reported that during the inspection procedure, the FANB personnel explained to the crew their “reasonable doubt” about the work carried out by the vessel, given that “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has the sovereign right to exercise authority in these maritime zones.”
Thereafter, the crew was notified that both they and the vessel “will remain under preventive custody” of the Venezuelan authorities, and corresponding investigations will be carried out.
Since June 15, the vessel N-35 has been in the Port of Guamache of Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta state, “in order to carry out the pertinent inspections and to determine the respective responsibilities in the case.”
The commander of the Maritime and Insular Defense Region explained that officials of the Ministry of Health, the National Anti-Drug Office, the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces, the Administration, Migration and Foreigners Service, the Coast Guard, and the Hydrographic and Navigation Service have been summoned for conducting the investigations.
Venezuela Intercepts Foreign Vessel in Undisputed Territorial Waters
Camouflaged ship
In a video, the Venezuelan naval authorities explained that the vessel, due to its color and acronym, “looks like a warship.”
However, when contacted, the crew informed the naval authorities that they were tracking a route to find a World War II ship, and claimed that they were not in Venezuelan waters. Therefore, the Navy personnel were obliged to explain that the crew was in Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone.
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The crew of the N-35 said that they traveled from the Canary Islands, Spain, to look for the WWII-era vessel and insisted that they were in the waters of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
In total, nine persons of various nationalities were on board the vessel: Dutch, Hungarian, Honduran, Panamanian, and Spanish.
The Venezuelan authorities explained that, due to the location of the vessel and taking into account that this is an area where ExxonMobil, in collusion with the government of Guyana, has discovered immense oil deposits, “they know that the only way to carry out scientific studies in this area is through a camouflaged vessel.”
It is noteworthy that the vessel was exploring right in a corner of the Stabroek block, discovered by ExxonMobil in 2015 in undelimited maritime zone between Venezuela and Guyana.
(Últimas Noticias) by María Milagros Sánchez
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
