Italy vows to free tugboat seized in Libya
Italian officials vowed to do whatever it takes to free the crew of an Italian tugboat apparently seized by Libyan officials at Tripoli’s port as US and European airstrikes enforced a no-fly zone over Libya.
The “Asso 22” tug of the Naples-based shipping company Augusta Offshore SrL has eight Italian, two Indian and one Ukrainian crew members aboard.
Armed men, including one believed to be the Tripoli port commander, detained the crew as Libyan workers aboard disembarked yesterday, state-run RAI television reported.
Today, the tug was heading out of port to an oil platform, presumably with Libyan officials still on board, the foreign minister said.
Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said that Italy was prepared to evacuate the crew “with every possible means”.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said the situation was fluid and confusing, but that he couldn’t exclude that it amounted to a seizure. He said Eni, Italy’s oil and gas giant which has significant interests in Libya, had rented the tug for use at oil platforms off the coast.
“Now they’re taking it to the base of an Eni refinery,” Frattini said. “We don’t know what their intentions are, but we obviously can’t exclude that we’re dealing with a seizure, given that it’s still a confused situation.”
He said Italy had asked Turkey, which is now representing Italian interests in Libya following the closure of Italy’s embassy, to intervene with Libyan authorities.
