Captain of boat seized by Venezuela charged

The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office today charged Ukrainian captain Igor Bekirov for allegedly violating Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone onboard the oil exploration ship Teknik Perdana, which was intercepted by Venezuelan authorities on October 10.

A report in the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal said that in a preliminary hearing, the designated prosecutor, Andrés Bravo, charged Bekirov for allegedly failing to meet the special regime of security zones as specified in the laws on Water Areas and National Security.

The fourth crime control court in Nueva Esparta state, northeast Venezuela, released Bekirov pending trial and banned him from conducting oil exploration and research activities in the Venezuelan territory, the report said.

Bekirov will have to appear in court for pending proceedings and will be summoned through the Guyanese Embassy to Caracas.