Captain Held in Greece for Six Weeks

The wife of the Ukrainian captain is calling on Greek authorities to release her husband and his crew after six weeks of captivity.

Captain Sergii Nevecheria, 61, master of the Maltese-registered container ship Mekong Spirit is being held in a prison in Athens, and his 16-man crew are being held on board the ship at Souda Bay Naval Base, Crete, reports the Times of Malta.

The vessel was detained on May 23 as it voyaged from Izmir, Turkey, into  Greek waters. Greek authorities allege that the ship was carrying mining explosives and hunting/sport rifle cartridges destined for Port Sudan in violation of U.N. and E.U. sanctions.  

However, Valentina Nevecheria, the captain's wife, said her husband was very proud of how he ran his ships and would never do anything that would harm anyone.

"He has been held in horrible conditions in a prison cell for six weeks without having any chance to prove his innocence," she told the international media.  

The ship's owners insist that all documentation and import permits for their cargo were in order.

Last week, the captain of a Turkish-flagged cargo ship claimed that his vessel came under fire from the Greek coast guard after he refused to comply with calls to dock at a Greek port in the Aegean Sea. Greek sources said that the action was part of a crackdown on illicit smuggling.