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Suriname releases seized ship after US$400 fine

Oct 17, 2008 News

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo)-contracted vessel, the MV Lady Chandra 1, which was seized by the Surinamese military on Tuesday last, may be making port at Skeldon at approximately 05:00 hours today, if it gets a Surinamese captain to sail it from Nickerie.
The ship was released after the owner reportedly paid the fine of US$400 which the Surinamese Government levied.
This newspaper has also received reports that the ship experienced some delays because of engine problems. Then, after its release, it was forced to wait on the high tide before it could set sail for Skeldon.
Compounding the already sticky situation is the fact that, according to the Surinamese, if a ship is to sail the Corentyne River, it must be piloted by a Surinamese national, something that President Bharrat Jagdeo says is not supported by Guyana.
At present, the Surinamese need to assign a Surinamese captain to the vessel if it is to sail from Nickerie to Guyana. No word has yet been heard as to when and if a Surinamese captain will be assigned to the Guyanese vessel.
The Surinamese military seized the vessel on Tuesday, while en route to Skeldon to uplift sugar. At the time it was in the Corentyne River that borders the two nations. The Guyana-registered ship was apparently boarded by the Surinamese and escorted to the Surinamese port of Nickerie.
According to GuySuCo, this is the first time the company has been faced with such a situation in which one of the vessels it contracted has been intercepted.
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made clear that this provocation is the latest in a series that has seen recurrent interventions by the Surinamese against Guyanese shipping in the Corentyne River.
In the past, Guyana forwarded, diplomatically, communication to the Government of Suriname against such actions, but this fell on deaf ears and no response was seen.
The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea that had ruled on the maritime dispute between Guyana and Suriname found that the resort to the use of force by Suriname offended international norms and practices.
The recent detention of the ship has been drawn to the attention of both the United Nations (UN) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

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