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Cameroon-bound ship blocked in Gabon by row
Libreville (AFP) Aug 30, 2010 A ship with a crew of 18 which was on its way to Cameroon has been held in Gabon for three months and is forbidden from casting off, merchant shipping sources and the Chinese embassy said Monday. The Croatian-owned Swift Split, whose crew comprises Croats, Chinese, Ukrainians and Burmese, and which is carrying a cargo of cement, has been delayed by a legal row, the official Gabon-Matin reported. In all, 18 people, including the captain, are aboard the boat, which was chartered by a Chinese man and has been prevented from leaving Gabon since June, a source in the merchant navy said, confirming the press report. The director general of the merchant navy, Marie-Jeanne Mbazoghe, boarded the boat on Friday, according to the source, who said shipping officials had "only been informed on Friday" of the ban. The sailors "are in bad conditions ... They are demanding their pay but they are not sick," said the source, adding that the "ban on getting under way will be in force until justice is handed down." A source in the Chinese embassy said the sailors had had "adequate food and water in the past three months. All the crew is well." "This is a problem caused by certain differences between the ship owner and the charterer, but the problem will be resolved within a few days," said the source in the embassy. Gabon-Matin and the merchant navy source also reported a difference between the boat's owner and the charterer which had led to the vessel being blocked in Gabon because of legal action by the firm for which the cement was destined in Cameroon. However, the sources gave no names or details. The web site of the National Council of Loaders of Cameroon (CNCC) lists the Swift Split among vessels awaited between August 18 and 30 at the port of Owendo, which is used by subsidiaries of French companies.
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