General Khalifa Haftar’s forces claimed late Monday to have intercepted a Turkish commercial cargo ship flying a Jamaican flag heading to the port of Misrata in western Libya, as Turkish dailysabah.com reports.
The incident took place, near the eastern port of Derna, while the cargo ship named Mabrouka was heading towards the port of Misrata in western Libya. It was reportedly carrying 17 crew members, including nine Turkish nationals.
LNA spokesperson Ahmed al-Mismari said that the commercial cargo ship was carrying containers that had not yet been inspected.
The interception was carried out by the forces of eastern Libya, which is controlled by General Haftar. The ship was heading to the part of Libya controlled by Saraj, head of the UN-recognised Libyan government which backed by Turkey.
The militia claims the ship entered a prohibited area and did not respond to calls before it withdrew to the port of Ras al-Hilal.
The spokesperson also told the Al-Hadath television channel that the ship was carrying drugs destined for Misrata but had entered the restricted area.
According to Anadolu News Agency, the crew is in good condition. Sources said the procedure has been applied to other ships in the area, but no ships have been seized and a penalty has been imposed for entering the wrong area.
