Authorities have decided to proceed through legal means as the government of Eritrea is not cooperating over the Maldives' boats held in the country.
Fuel Supply Maldives (FSM) managing director Mohamed Gasam told Adhadhu that although they had previously considered going to Eritrea to resolve the issue, they now know that it is not viable.
"We decided to proceed legally in this case. We have now hired a lawyer over there," Gasam said.
The two FSM oil barges built in Egypt departed for the Maldives but entered Eritrean waters due to bad weather on April 26. There are two Maldivians and four Egyptians on the boats.
The Eritrean government has freed the crew members, but the ships are still being held. A third barge, belonging to Petroleum Link Private Limited, is also being held there.
Eritrean authorities accuse the boats of docking in the country without permission. But Gasam said they entered the country during an emergency.
“The crew tried to contact the Eritrean authorities but were unable to connect. They also faced issues with the boats’ auto system,” he stated.
The foreign ministry has been unable to go into direct negotiations with the Eritrean government so all attempts are made through diplomatic channels from embassies of other countries.
Maldives and Eritrea established diplomatic ties in 2021.
The FSM boats that are stuck in Eritrea were built in Egypt. They were designed like a barge with a capacity of 250,000 liters.
FSM also brought two boats from Egypt to the Maldives last year. In 2019, FSM signed an agreement with an Egyptian company to manufacture boats.
