Azerbaijan has lodged a protest with Eritrea after Asmara detained three of the central Asian country’s vessels and their crews since November 2024.
The three Azerbaijani-flagged ships and their 18 crew members were detained after entering Eritrean waters due to rough weather conditions, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayxan Hajizada said on Wednesday.
According to Mr Hajizada the three vessels—CMS Pahlian, CMS İgid and CMS-3—were seized on November 7.
The ships, operated by Caspian Marine Services’ Azerbaijani branch, were en route to Abu Dhabi via the Suez Canal from Baku when they were forced to enter Eritrean waters due to deteriorating weather conditions.
The ships’ owner said that the vessels entered Eritrea after encountering rough seas… “and the ship captains attempted to contact the security and coast guard agencies of Eritrea via the international channel VHF-16 to provide information regarding the entry into territorial waters, but no response was received.”
The ships’ owner said there were, in fact, 26 people on boarding, including six foreigners.
A statement from the Eritrean Ministry of Information said the country’s navy had detained the ships for illegal entry. It said the vessels were being inspected but didn’t say when they would be released.
However, the vessels’ owner said the crew had been allowed access to communicate with their families.
The Azerbaijani spokesman said the country had sent diplomatic messages to Eritrea through its embassies in Addis Ababa and Russia after learning of the detention.
“Work is ongoing to resolve the issue, release the vessels and crews, and provide the necessary consular legal assistance,” Mr Hajizada said.
The exact date of the protest’s submission remains unclear.
