Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The government on Monday said it has begun implementing the recommendations of a fact-finding report on the illegal departure of the vessel "Sur" from the Port of Aqaba three weeks ago.

"We prepared letters to each concerned party to start implementing the recommendations included in the report," Minister of State for Legal Affairs Ibrahim Jazi said yesterday.

The Sur, which sailed from Aqaba on November 8 during the Eid Al Adha holiday, was carrying 18,000 tonnes of maize cattle feed when it entered the port on August 16.

After laboratory tests showed that the fodder was not fit for animal consumption, the authorities asked the vessel to leave immediately, but the owner of the cargo and his local agent did not meet the request, choosing instead to go to court to hold the ship’s owner, a Turkish businessman, and its crew responsible for causing damage to the cargo. The case was rejected in the courts of first instance and appeal and is still at the Court of Cassation.

One day after the “Sur” slipped out of the port, the government formed a fact-finding committee to gather information and determine the legal and administrative measures to be taken.

On November 20, the committee handed its report to Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh, who ordered its findings to be released, Jazi said.

Acknowledging "negligence" and lack of coordination between several marine authorities, the official report proposed that the government should form a new investigative committee to re-examine the case and identify those responsible for allowing the vessel to leave the port.

It blacklisted the ship's captain and crew, preventing them from entering Jordanian waters, and barred the entry of any other vessels belonging to Hisar Shipping Trading, the Turkish company that owns the Sur.

After detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident, the report proposed that the cargo's owner, Dirah Trading Establishment, be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate its involvement in alleged corruption cases, including the vessel's illegal departure from the port.

The report also focused on the need to provide the Royal Naval Force with the required equipment to ensure that it can carry out its duties optimally, and recommended that the chairman of the joint chiefs-of-staff be acquainted with this provision in order to avoid recurrence of such cases in the future.

In addition, the report proposed establishing a marine court to expedite handling maritime issues, but stated that in the meantime such cases must be given urgent status.

At a joint press conference held yesterday with Minster of State for Media Affairs and Communications Rakan Majali, Jazi also said the government should review its agreement with the UAE-based marine services company Lamnalco, in which the committee discovered certain "loopholes".

In 2009, the company entered into a 15-year joint venture with the Aqaba Development Corporation, the investment arm of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, to manage, operate and re-equip marine services assets and activities at the Port of Aqaba.


* Jordan Times