Maltese authorities asked to intervene in ‘kidnapping’ case

The Maltese authorities have been asked to intervene in an alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian and two Croatian seamen on board the ship Kara, owned by a Maltese company.

The Egyptian captain, a Croatian chief engineer and a Croatian officer of the deck have been held hostage on board the Togo-flagged ship at the western port city of Zuwara, Libya, for the past two months.

Informed sources confirmed that the Malta police have been asked to intervene and help free the three men. The sources however explained that the police’s powers could be limited since the ship does not fall under Malta’s jurisdiction.

Contacted by MaltaToday, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) also confirmed it was asked to intervene about a fortnight ago.

While providing very scant details, a spokesperson said the situation was “very delicate”, made more difficult by the poor channels of communication in Zuwara and the ongoing conflict.

Kidnapping in Zuwara is frequently reported in international media, the latest reported only three days ago when three European workers were captured by militias and freed two days later.

“We are doing our utmost to ensure the well-being of the men and for their possible repatriation,” a spokesperson for the ITF said.

Sources said the ITF has not yet managed to establish whether an arrest warrant had been issued against the vessel: “Carrying out investigations is very difficult with the ongoing conflict in Libya.”

Stevo Stjepanovic, a Croatian national who is trying to help free the workers, said the men were now running out of food and water and are constantly under the threat of armed men.

Although MaltaToday was not in a position to verify the reason behind the kidnapping, Stjepanovic said the men were being held for ransom.

“They are being held at gunpoint, as slaves of Libyan armed soldiers, because the ship’s owner owes money to a Libyan businessman,” Stjepanovic claimed.

A former crewing manager, Stjepanovic helped the three workers get a job aboard the Kara some time ago.

The ship is owned by Daniel Farrugia, director at Dolphin Industrial Services Ltd (DIS). Repeated attempts to contact Farrugia by phone proved futile. According to Stjepanovic, the ship’s owner owes money to a Libyan businessman. He also alleged that the three men have not been receiving their salaries for the past months.

In March, Magistrate Carol Peralta issued an arrest warrant for Farrugia after he failed to attend a court sitting to answer to charges of not paying the salaries of his employees.