Egypt seizes 2 Italian fishing vessels

Egyptian authorities seized two Italian fishing vessels in international waters, Nicolò Cristaldi, mayor of Mazara del Vallo town which is located in the south-west of Italian Sicily island, said yesterday.

The Italian National Public Broadcasting Company RAI News quoted Cristaldi saying that the boats “Ghibli I” and “Giulia PG” were seized last night by the Egyptian naval units in international waters of the Mediterranean at about 28 miles away from the Egyptian coastline.

Cristaldi explained that the Egyptian navy pulled the two ships towards Alexandria port after their crews were transferred onto the navy’s coastguard boats.

The boats and their crews were later released, the Italian foreign ministry said.

“Thanks to the intervention of our embassy in Cairo, the two fishing vessels have cast off and are heading towards the open sea,” the ministry said in a statement.

Egypt has been experiencing strained relations with Italy since the death of the Cambridge scholar Giulio Regeni, who was allegedly kidnapped and killed by the Egyptian police on the fifth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution.