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Tripoli, 22 March 2014:
The oil tanker Morning Glory has docked at Zawia and the three Libyans and 21 crew that were on . . .[restrict]board the vessel are now being transferred to Tripoli.
The crew, consisting of six Pakistanis, including the Captain, six Indians, three Sri Lankans, two Syrians, two Sudanese and two Eritreans, are being taken to Tripoli by boat, a source close to the government told the Libya Herald.
The journey was being made by sea, he said, because some difficulties were anticipated if they tried to travel by road. This is thought to be because of protests in Zawia earlier today following the arrest of former Chief of Staff Major-General Salem Al-Gnaidy.
They would be met in the capital by Libyan authorities and embassy staff, he added.
Once in Tripoli, the Attorney General would take control of the investigation into the illegal loading and export of the oil from Sidra port, the source said. It was expected that both the Libyans and the crew would be questioned, he said.
Sidra is one of three eastern oil export terminals that have been blockaded by federalists operating under the control of Ibrahim Jadhran since August last year.
Responding to calls from the governments of Libya and Cyprus, as well as from the Captain, who reported that armed men were on board the Morning Glory and the crew were in danger, US military personnel took control of the oil tanker on Monday.
This afternoon, in international waters off the coast of Libya, the US returned the vessel to the control of the Libyan government. [/restrict]
