Baghdad-INA
The General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI) said on Thursday it is monitoring the disappearance of two vessels flying the Bolivian flag, while confirming that they did not enter Iraqi territorial waters.
In a statement, GCPI said all staff at its maritime control department and search and rescue center within Iraqi territorial waters had been placed on alert following reports of the missing vessels.
It added that its maritime departments had not received any distress calls from the vessels “Bridge 1” and “Bridge 2,” both of which are registered under the Bolivian flag.
GCPI said it had received electronic messages from security authorities at several ports in the Gulf region, as well as from the ships’ owners, requesting any available information after communications with the crews were lost and contact became difficult in recent days.
GCPI stressed that the two vessels had not entered Iraqi waters, and that its maritime control and search and rescue units had no record of distress signals or any information regarding their current location.
It added that monitoring operations are ongoing via satellite tracking systems in coordination with search and rescue authorities in the region, and that any updates will be announced as soon as they are received.
