Argentina denies seized ship moved in Ghana

BUENOS AIRES - Argentina Tuesday denied reports that its Navy frigate Libertad, impounded in Ghana's Tema Port, has been moved to another location.

Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said at a press conference that "on Monday night, news website Infobae reported the warship Libertad had been removed from Tema Port's dock 11 ... The information is false".

"At two o'clock this morning, Ghana time, I called Argentina's ambassador there, who corroborated along with the ship's captain that the situation was totally calm, with nothing new to report," he added.

Ghana had complained the ship impeded port activity and wanted it to be moved to a less prominent location, but the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea asked both sides to abstain from any action before its ruling, said Timerman.

Two weeks ago, Argentina filed a lawsuit against Ghana at the international tribunal over the matter, demanding "immediate and unconditional release of the frigate."

Ghana seized the vessel on Oct 2 after US-based Elliot Management's investment fund NML Capital filed a complaint against Argentina for $370 million in overdue government bonds.

Argentina defaulted on its debt after its economy capsized in 2001, and NML has refused to take part in two debt renegotiation rounds in 2005 and 2010, which settled with more than 90 percent of the country's other creditors by paying a standard 30 percent or so on the dollar owed.

Timerman said the dispute "is not with the countries where the embargoes occur, but with the vulture funds that request them".

He called on Ghana to respect international law, saying non-commercial ships are exempt from such actions.

The legal wrangling "won't affect the relationship between the two countries, our goal is to prevent these vulture funds from trying to destabilize our countries," he added.

NML, along with several other funds, is suing Argentina in a New York court, where a judge ruled Buenos Aires must pay its pending debts in full, or some $1.33 billion.

On Monday, the Argentine government appealed the decision, saying it was not fair to the creditors who agreed to the 2005 and 2012 debt renegotiations.