A Ukrainian vessel with 65 migrants was intercepted off the shores of Western Greece as Ekathimerini reported.
“A vessel with 65 migrants was intercepted in the morning on October 2 by the patrol boat near Kato Vasiliki, Western Greece,” the message said.
Three foreigners at the age of 30, 32 and 37 were arrested on charges in trafficking.
Also, two other suspects were detained: 36-year-old citizen of Greece and 37-year-old foreigner, who were the drivers of the truck that was waiting for the migrants at the coast.
Over two hundred Ukrainian sailors are now held in custody in Greece and Italy. State Secretary for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry Andriy Zayets said that on August 7.
As of June, there were 151 Ukrainian sailors in Greece, 98 of them were detained for transporting illegal migrants. Over a hundred Ukrainian citizens are now held in Italian prisons, judged for the same kind of violation.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reported that 42 citizens of Ukraine were convicted and 78 Ukrainians are under the investigation in Greece due to the accusation of the transfer of the illegal migrants.
Earlier we reported that 214 Ukrainian sailors imprisoned in Greece, India, Spain, Libya, Oman and Sri-Lanka as the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine reported.
According to BIMCO and ISF, 69,000 Ukrainians worked on foreign ships in 2015. Ukraine was enlisted to the TOP-6 largest supplier of the workforce to the ship owners.