Crew Of Russia's Pomorye Vessel Cannot Leave US As Shift Team Lack Visas - Consul General

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2018) The crew of the Russian vessel Pomorye cannot leave the US port New Orleans for Russia as the shift team cannot get US visas, Russian Consul General Alexander Pisarev told Sputnik.

"The Pomorye vessel, which belongs to JSC Murmansk Shipping Company, has been arrested in the port of New Orleans since May 2018 over the company's failure to pay the debt. As of August, contracts of 17 crew members expired and they want to return home ... The ship-owner prepared the shift crew ... and the only problem is getting visas by them," Pisarev said on Tuesday.

The consul general pointed out that on August 17 the Russian Foreign Ministry had officially asked the US Embassy to accelerate issuing visas for the shift crew but that had not been done yet.

"[The Consulate General] is maintaining a permanent communication with the captain of the ship and is providing all the necessary assistance in solving the urgent issues," Pisarev said adding that other bodies including the Russian Ministry for Transport were also involved in solving the issue.

According to the consul general, the situation is complicated by the start of the season of storms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US move to limit its visa services in Russia was prompted by Moscow's scaling down the diplomatic presence of the US mission in Russia from 755 people to 455, the same number of diplomatic personnel Russia had in the United States after the 2016 expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats over alleged Moscow's meddling in the US presidential election, which Moscow denied.