The case of the ship "Lodesia," which was held for four days at the Port of Tripoli carrying quantities of Russian flour, was resolved yesterday after the fast-track court in the north reversed its seizure order issued last Saturday. This reversal followed claims made by the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut that the ship's cargo was "stolen" from Ukrainian territories. According to "Al-Akhbar," acting urgent matters judge Zainab Rabab issued a decision yesterday (upon the expiration of the extended 72-hour seizure period) to accept the objection raised by the legal representative of the Russian embassy in Beirut, Manal Aytani, and lifted the seizure on the ship. Workers began unloading the flour (about 5,000 tons) immediately after the decision was made, with General Security supervising the collection of samples for testing at the American University of Beirut’s laboratories due to concerns over spoilage from high temperatures.
Judge Rabab's decision came after receiving information regarding the potential escalation of the case in negative political directions, especially after the Russian embassy expressed concerns about a possible third extension of the ship's seizure. According to "Al-Akhbar," several options were considered by the embassy, including sending a message to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry expressing Moscow's displeasure with actions against Russian interests in Beirut and its feelings of intentional attempts to strain relations, particularly since the embassy had presented documents to the court confirming the legality of the goods, their origin, identity, and shipping route from Russian territories.
Furthermore, the legal representatives of the Syrian embassy in Beirut filed an objection against the ship's seizure at the fast-track court due to the ship flying the Syrian flag and being registered in the city of Latakia. Additionally, the Turkish embassy’s lawyer submitted another petition since the goods aboard were consigned to a Turkish businessman. Both petitions confirmed that the seizure process was "illegal, lacking basic standards and not adhering to legal conditions, with clear violations."
Moreover, it was revealed that the data submitted by the Ukrainian embassy to the fast-track court in the north relied on foreign media reports indicating that the ship docked at the port of Feodosia on July 9. Ukrainian embassy representatives described the port as "occupied and closed, located in Crimea, which is occupied by the Soviet Union (!)," claiming that the quantities of wheat, barley, and flour on board were "stolen from warehouses in the Ukrainian cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson, which are witnessing battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces."
