DISPUTE OVER SHIP 'IVAN CERNIH' ENDS IN FAVOR OF CROATIAN SAILORS

ANKARA, 15 Jan (Hina) - The head of the Turkish maritime police made a decision late Tuesday night in favor of 14 Croatian sailors, on the use of the ship 'Ivan Cernih', reports from Ankara said Wednesday. #L# The Swiss company AMOS owns a contract on the use of the ship 'Ivan Cernih' in the period between 1995 and 2002. The ship is owned by a Russian company. The dispute arose five days ago when the Russian captain turned the ship without any explanation towards the Russian Black Sea port of Novorosijsk, while it was on its way from Varna, Bulgaria, to Sevilla in Spain. The Russian owner of the ship claimed that the Croatian crew had incited a mutiny on the ship and locked the captain and another two Russian members of the crew in cabins. At a joint meeting of interested parties, which was also attended by the Russian consul and the Croatian consul general Boris Mitrovic as well as Ante Cicvaric, Croatian consul in Istanbul, claims made by the Russian owner of the ship were refuted. The ship, which has been anchored for five days at the entrance to the Bosporus strait, is allowed to continue its journey from the port of Varna to the Spanish port of Sevilla. The epilogue of the dispute makes it clear that the whole drama had been instigated on purpose. At the same time it was confirmed that the Croatian sailors not only performed their duties professionally and honorably but were right as concerns their requests to continue the journey to Seville in line with the contract. A Turkish public attorney refused to continue the questioning and concluded, on the basis of statements made earlier by all parties in the dispute, that neither mutiny nor violence had taken place. However, when the ship will continue its journey depends on the solution of the question of the ship's captain. According to the signed contract, the ship's operator, in this case the Croatian crew, have the right to replace the captain. (hina) rm jn 151652 MET jan 97