Argentine Warship Libertad Freed From Ghana
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2012/12/argentine-warship-libertad-freed-from.html
Argentine warship Libertad will head home after it was seized in Ghana for more than two months, officials said.
The ship is expected to reach Argentina on Jan. 9 after the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered Ghana to free the ship “unconditionally and ensure the departure of the ship and its crew,” according to media reports.
The Libertad will depart for Argentina on Dec. 19, said Argentine Defense Minister Arturo Puricelli, adding 98 sailors will be deployed to Ghana to help man the ship. The ship was seized in Ghana’s Tema Port on Oct. 2 while it was on a “goodwill mission.” In late October, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry evacuated the vessel, leaving just the captain and a few crew on the ship, which carried 326 members, including nationals from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and South Africa.
A judge in Ghana ruled the vessel had to remain in the Port of Tema until Argentina fulfills previous court rulings that awarded about US$1.6 billion to Elliott Management Corp.’s NML Capital Ltd.
NML said if Argentina had deposited US$20 million with the court, the ship would be released, but Argentine officials took the matter to court, claiming military vessels can’t be confiscated as collateral.
The Libertad will depart for Argentina on Dec. 19, said Argentine Defense Minister Arturo Puricelli, adding 98 sailors will be deployed to Ghana to help man the ship. The ship was seized in Ghana’s Tema Port on Oct. 2 while it was on a “goodwill mission.” In late October, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry evacuated the vessel, leaving just the captain and a few crew on the ship, which carried 326 members, including nationals from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and South Africa.
A judge in Ghana ruled the vessel had to remain in the Port of Tema until Argentina fulfills previous court rulings that awarded about US$1.6 billion to Elliott Management Corp.’s NML Capital Ltd.
NML said if Argentina had deposited US$20 million with the court, the ship would be released, but Argentine officials took the matter to court, claiming military vessels can’t be confiscated as collateral.
