BAKU (Reuters) – Azerbaijan has lodged a protest with Eritrea over the detention of three Azerbaijani-flagged vessels and their crews that have been held since November 2024, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayxan Hajizada said on Wednesday.
Hajizada told Reuters that the three vessels, carrying a total of 18 crew members, all Azerbaijani citizens, were detained on Nov. 7, after entering Eritrean waters due to worsening weather conditions while en route to Abu Dhabi via the Suez Canal.
The vessels, CMS Pahlian, CMS İgid, and CMS-3, operated by the Azerbaijani branch of Caspian Marine Services B.V., had contacted Eritrean authorities but failed to provide all the necessary details, according to Hajizada. Upon learning of the detention, Azerbaijan sent a diplomatic note to Eritrea through its embassies in Ethiopia and Russia, he said.
“Work is ongoing to resolve the issue, release the vessels and crews, and provide the necessary consular legal assistance,” Hajizada said.
It was not clear when the protest was sent.
(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
