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| Venezuela accused the Teknik Perdana of "illegal activities" |
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The owners
of a US-operated oil ship which was detained by the Venezuelan navy on Thursday
say the vessel has been released.
The
Venezuelan navy had boarded the Teknik Perdana on Thursday in disputed waters
off the coast of Guyana and sailed it to Venezuela's Margarita island.
Caracas
accused the crew of operating illegally in Venezuelan waters.
Its owners
said all 36 crew, among them five US citizens, had been released.
Owners
SapuraKencana Petroleum said they wished "to express their gratitude to
the Venezuelan government for caring for the safety and welfare of the crew,
which comprises multiple nationalities, during the time they were at Margarita
island and also for releasing the vessel".
The
Venezuelan government has not given an indication as to why it decided to let
the ship sail.
The
Venezuelan foreign ministry had accused the Teknik Perdana of "carrying out
illegal activities" within a maritime area claimed by Venezuela.
Its
Guyanese counterpart said that "the Teknik Perdana was in Guyana's waters
when this incident took place".
The two
foreign ministers were due to meet on Thursday in Trinidad and Tobago to
discuss the ship's seizure.
The Teknik
Perdana, which had been contracted out to Texas-based company Anadarko
Petroleum, had been carrying out a survey of the seabed off the coast of
Esequiba.
Venezuela
has been claiming the Esequiba region as its own since the 19th Century, when
Guyana was still a British colony.
President
Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart, Donald Ramotar, said in August
that they would seek help from the United Nations to solve the dispute.
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