Negotiations to release a Maltese cargo ship detained in Tripoli are now in their third week with little indication of when, or on what conditions, the MV Azzurra will be allowed to return home.
Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg discussed the ship’s fate with top Libyan officials yesterday in the course of a brief visit to the Libyan capital.
A ministry spokesman was noncommittal on the outcome of the talks, saying simply that they hoped for positive developments over the coming days.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has also made himself heard with the Libyan government, insisting the vessel be released without any preconditions.
But the diplomatic pressure has so far had little effect, with the cargo ship – and its Turkish crew and captain – still stuck in Tripoli.
The MV Azzurra has been in Libya since mid-April, when the authorities there impounded the ship on the basis of allegations by Libyan trading tycoon Hosni Bey.
In a letter sent to the Libyan authorities, Mr Bey said the MV Azzurra was being used to take smuggled goods into Libya. He went on to sully Maltese traders more broadly, saying the island was known for reprinting fraudulent best-by dates on foodstuffs.
The charges have been vehemently denied by MV Azzurra’s shipping agents, who said the seizure was nonsensical and baseless.
“It’s crazy. Customs officers didn’t find anything suspicious on board but the ship is still stuck in Libya. Even if they did find contraband, why punish the vessel and not the smuggler,” the agents said.
An industry insider, who asked to remain nameless, spoke similarly. “There’s something fishy about the situation. The Libyan authorities are essentially holding the ship responsible for the cargo held by its passengers. But passengers are responsible for their own luggage, not the ship.”
The insider voiced suspicion which the shipping agents had also aired previously. “My guess is that this is an attempt by Husni Bey to crowd competition out of the market. Mr Bey carries a lot of political clout in Libya so I’m not surprised the issue has dragged out for so long.”
Mr Bey’s HB Group is one of Libya’s largest employers, with 1,500 employees. A 2011 Business Week interview with Mr Bey noted that “if a food or personal-care product comes into Libya, it likely goes through the HB Group”.
Two Maltese crewmen who had been stuck on board the MV Azzurra returned to Malta last week, leaving one Maltese-Australian and 20-odd Turks behind.
The MV Azzurra was one of the first vessels to start commercial operations in Libya following the war. Its weekly Malta-Libya trip transports an average of €3 million in cargo.