Two Croatian seafarers who spent three months forcibly kept in Angola are returning home to Rijeka, reports Novi list on June 16, 2017.
Vanja Maričić and Duško Jelača were retained in Angola after being accused for allegedly stealing marine fuel from the ship ‘SuttonTide’ they worked at. The ship carries the Vanuatu flag, and is owned by the company Tidewater that reported the offense.
The ship sailed into Soyo harbour in Angola on March 24, followed by an investigation into the reported incident. The two seafarers from Rijeka were forbidden to leave their hotel, and their personal documents were taken away. Other crew members of foreign nationalities were retained as well, while the local workers were released at once.
The Seafarers’ Union of Croatia insisted on the accusation being unsupported by believable arguments. They pointed to the evidence that proves there was no sufficient quantity of fuel on the ship at the time of the alleged crime for the accused to even commit the theft. Maričić and Jelača submitted logbooks that showed they couldn’t have done the act they were accused of.
President of the Union Predrag Brazzoduro announced Maričić and Jelača were finally released due to the lack of evidence against them. “The Croatian seafarers got a confirmation from the judge that there is not enough evidence to support the claim they participated in the crime of stealing fuel, so no kind of legal action can be taken against them. Our seafarers provided documentation that contributed to the favourable outcome and were released.” said Brozzaduro.
Following the appeal he posted on Facebook earlier this month where he explained the issue to his friends and acquaintances, Vanja Maričić published an announcement yesterday, thanking everyone for their help. “There’s been a great advancement in our favour. Nothing is over yet and I’ll believe once when I’m on a plane, but for now, things are moving forward for us.” wrote Maričić.
Brazzoduro confirmed the statement, explaining an agreement was reached last night. The two seafarers have to verify the order of the court to get permission to leave Soyo and Angola, followed by being provided transport from Soyo to Rwanda, and then further on to Zagreb.
Brazzoduro also drew attention to the fact the Croatian diplomacy made no efforts to help resolve the case, unlike the Ukrainian and Philippine diplomats, whose seafarers were also retained in Angola.
