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Hijacked ferry still at sea
03/04/2003 09:42 - (SA)
Miami - A Cuban ferry drifted in international waters between Cuba and Florida on Wednesday as hijackers demanded fuel and threatened to throw passengers overboard after they commandeered the boat in Havana to reach the United States, US and Cuban officials said.
The incident came barely a day after a Cuban airliner was hijacked to the nearest US state of Florida.
Robert Zimmerman, a spokesperson for the state department's bureau of western hemisphere affairs said in Washington "Cuban authorities told us this morning that this boat had been hijacked and was on course for Miami. We know that the Cubans are following the vessel and our Coast Guard is monitoring the situation.
"But our view is that under the applicable maritime hijacking conventions, the Cuban government is responsible for asserting jurisdiction over the hijacking of the vessel, if that is in fact what happened."
The US Coast Guard echoed the sentiment saying in a statement: "We stand ready to assist the Cuban government with fulfilling their obligations under international law."
Maritime authorities said the ferry, measuring 15m in length by 5m in girth with a 100-passenger capacity, was built for coastal transport and not suited for the open sea.
It is part of a three-vessel fleet that makes daily runs between the coastal town of Regla and Havana Bay, transporting commuters who work in the capital.
It was not clear late on Wednesday whether any negotiations with the hijackers were under way.
Earlier an FBI spokesperson in Miami had said the US federal police would send in negotiators, but another spokesperson did not confirm any progress on that front late Wednesday.
In Havana, Cuban authorities confirmed armed men commandeered the ferry to emigrate to the United States, with 50 people including six to eight children on board, and complained Washington had refused to cooperate with them in helping the stranded vessel.
"The hijacked vessel was about 30 nautical miles off our coasts in international waters, and the hijackers are demanding gas to continue on their journey," an official Cuban statement said.
"These terrorists and delinquents are encouraged by the policy of tolerance, resources, benefits, privileges, shelter and propaganda that governments of the United States have applied for more than 40 years to try to create and support counterrevolutionary movements and destroy the Cuban Revolution," it added in a stab at US policy Cuba insists encourages illegal emigration.
Cuba has been staunchly critical of the US policy dubbed "wet-foot, dry-foot," of granting asylum and US residence to any Cuban who manages to set foot on US soil - such as the 11 passengers on the March 19 flight, but turning back those stopped at sea.
Those who fled Cuba on the same boat as shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez in November 1999 tried to benefit from the policy; most drowned when their overcrowded boat sunk off Florida's coast.
Cuba's coast guard trailed the vessel since earlier in the day, the Cuban statement added, after the hijackers armed with pistols, revolvers and knives demanded the crew take them to the United States.
The US coast guard was notified, the Cuban statement said, but said Washington had told Havana it would not act since the boat was in international waters and was a Cuban-flagged vessel.
The father of one of the crew members said the boat was seized about 01:00 (07:00 SA time) as it was ferrying passengers between various suburbs along Havana bay.
"Fifteen or 16 people boarded the boat and forced the crew to head to the open seas," Gilberto Vargas said.
On Tuesday, a man saying he was carrying two hand grenades forced a Cuban airliner to take him to Florida. The alleged hijacker was arrested after the Soviet-made Antonov-24 landed in Key West, Florida, with 31 passengers and crew aboard.
Another Cuban airliner with 33 people aboard was hijacked to Florida on March 19.
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