The cargo ship ‘Chariot’ was given permission for refueling and departure from the port of Limassol once its shipowners decided to change its destination, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release states.

The authorities had decided to prevent the refueling and departure of the ship from its Limassol anchorage when upon inspection it was concluded that the ship carried dangerous cargo with destination to Syria and Turkey.

The ‘Chariot’, which carries the flag of St. Vincent and The Grenadines and is owned by Russian company Westberg Ltd (St. Petersburg, Russia), had anchored at Limassol port for refueling after it was obliged to seek refuge and fuel due to bad weather conditions.

The Customs and Ports Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus carried out the procedures as dictated by the law and examined the documents of the ship and the cargo and carried out external checks of the four containers and of the electric generator on board.

According to the press release “actual examination of the content of the containers was not possible due to the narrow confines of the ship”, however, “it was concluded that the ship carried dangerous cargo with destination to Syria and Turkey”.

“The relevant authorities prevented the refuelling and departure of the ship from its Limassol anchorage until the situation was clarified”, the press release notes, adding that “following coordinated efforts by the relevant authorities, the owners of the aforementioned ship decided to change the destination of the cargo”.

Moreover, the Regulations and Decisions of the Council of the European Union relevant to the restrictions concerning the situation in Syria, were taken into account and it was concluded that the relevant European Union restrictions are not being violated.

“As a result, the necessary procedures were put in place and permission was granted for the refuelling and departure of the ship”, the Ministry states.