Back in Ukraine

The Vega, a research vessel impounded by Greek authorities in 2000, returned to Ukraine the other day thanks to the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU’s) prompt and resolute efforts.

Iryna Halynska, senior officer at the SBU Crimean Department’s press service, told The Day’s correspondent that in 2000 the Pivdenekogeotsentr state-run public utility company, in charge of geological exploration of the Crimean region and the sea shelf, had leased out its research vessel, the Vega, to the Kherson-based firm Leksus. The Leksus management recruited a crew from among local residents and began to use the ship for transporting cargoes from Turkey to Ukraine. A year later this business was no longer bringing the firm a stable income. To offset losses, the leaseholder switched to the Turkey-Greece route to smuggle excisable goods.

During one of such trips, the vessel laden with contraband cigarettes got into a violent storm and went aground in the Greek territorial waters. Due to low professionalism, the crew failed to bring the ship afloat. Having received a SOS signal from the distressed ship, the Greek coast guard did its best to rescue the crew and towed the Vega to the port Nea Moudania near Salonika. The port’s customs officers found shipping documents for the contraband cargo. Yet, no tobacco goods were detected on board: while the ship was being towed, the crew managed to get rid of the cargo under the very nose of the Greek authorities. Nevertheless, the crew and the vessel were impounded.

A Greek court ruled six months later to deport the smuggler crew from the country. The impounded vessel was left in the Greek port. As the Pivdenekogeotsentr management learned about this, it made a number of attempts to return the ship to Ukraine. Wherever this company’s executives turned to at first, they were denied help. In the long run, the managers turned to the SBU’s Crimean branch. The Main SBU Department of the Crimea, in conjunction with the departments of financial and economic security and transport counterintelligence of the SBU’s general headquarters, conducted a series of special operations aimed at getting the vessel returned to Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine’s Academy of Sciences decided to request Ukrainian commercial banks to buy the Vega out. Moreover, Pivdenekogeotsentr borrowed the deficient amount of money from a bank on security of its own premises in Simferopol. All these efforts brought in 480,000 hryvnias. In August 2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs helped, at the SBU’s request, some Pivdenekogeotsentr managers to visit Greece, where they conducted a thorough inspection of the Vega. They also managed to make a deal with the Greek side on lifting the impoundment. The vessel was towed back to Sevastopol, Ukraine.