A German owned and managed Ro-Ro ship has been intercepted as she returned to the UK after turning back outside Tripoli harbour just as the country slid into civil war.
The SLOMAN PROVIDER (7,260-gt, built 2000) was met by the UK Border agency cutter HMS VIGILANT as she entered British waters and was escorted to Harwich harbour where £100 million in Libyan currency in several containers was seized and taken to a secure location.
A German owned and managed Ro-Ro ship has been intercepted as she returned to the UK after turning back outside Tripoli harbour just as the country slid into civil war.
The SLOMAN PROVIDER (7,260-gt, built 2000) was met by the UK Border agency cutter HMS VIGILANT as she entered British waters and was escorted to Harwich harbour where £100 million in Libyan currency in several containers was seized and taken to a secure location.
Libya’s currency is printed in the north east of England and pro-Gaddafi supporters attempted to have £900 million in Libyan dinars transferred to the North African country before the British Treasury stepped in and impounded the money, after an export control order came into force. However, when Sloman Provider sailed with the £100 million on board, the currency order was not yet in effect.
“A vessel which had been heading to Libya returned to the UK on Wednesday morning,” a British Home Office spokesman said. “The ship was escorted into the port of Harwich by the UK Border Agency cutter HMC Vigilant. A number of containers were offloaded from the boat and have been taken under control of UK Border Agency and have been moved to a secure location.”
It is understood that the shipping company contacted the British authorities to return the currency to the UK once it became obvious that it was unsafe for the Sloman Provider to enter Tripoli harbour.
Pro-Gaddafi Libyan authorities have become increasingly short of cash money as an international freeze of Libya’s assets takes place. Among other measures, Libya has been employing mercenaries to help put down the insurrection and has to pay up to £18,000 a man.
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