Libyan consul general in Istanbul, Salahedden Al-Kaseh, said Türkiye had exempted Libya from paying a fine of $500.000 for the Turkish Environment Protection Agency after the Kevalay Queen ship that is transporting passengers between the two countries dumbed its waste tank in a port in Istanbul.
Al-Kaseh told Libya Alahrar TV channel that the issue was resolved and the ship was allowed to operate as usual. He urged Libyan transport companies to take heed of laws and regulations in Türkiye to avoid such an entanglement in the future.
Kevalay ship started transporting passengers from Misrata to Izmir in September 2021 on a two-day trip, after the a four-decade hiatus of sea travel between the two countries.
The resumption of sea travel came after the signing of a memorandum of maritime borders’ demarcation between Tripoli and Ankara in November 2019. The MoU made Libya and Türkiye neighboring countries, allowing such a reactivation of sea travel to ensue.
