The crew of a shrimp-flagged fishing boat, including Russians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians, has been held up for eight months in the port of Maputo due to a legal dispute, with Russia trying to get them released.

A press release from the Russian Foreign Ministry, published today by the state news agency RIA Novosti, states that there are five people on the fishing vessel "Volopas", already without fuel or electricity, that two of them, including the captain, are Russian, and that the crew only has food once a day.

It adds that the Russian crew told the government they wanted to return home and that the Russian Embassy in Mozambique "immediately turned to the local authorities for assistance".

"Relevant notes have been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mozambique, contact has been established with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the National Migration Service, the Maputo Port Authority," added the Russian diplomatic service, noting that the crew is "hostage to a financial and property dispute between the company that owns the ship and the local agent."

With the ship stranded in Maputo - the specifics of the dispute have not been revealed - the port authorities insist that a minimum number of crew members must be present to keep the vessel afloat. According to the Russian government, with the help of diplomats in Maputo, the ship has resumed the supply of technical water and a gas stove has been delivered on board.

"Russian diplomats are constantly monitoring the situation on board, the sailors are receiving the necessary support. Intense consultations are continuing with the relevant authorities in Mozambique to resolve the current situation," the ministry added. (Texo: Toad)