Venezuelan navy detains US ship in Guyana waters

The Government of Guyana has announced that the Venezuelan navy has entered its territorial waters and detained a ship that operates out of the United States.



Guyana is raising concern that this action by Venezuela in the disputed Essequibo region constitutes a serious threat to peace in the region.



The vessel - the Teknik Perdana - belongs to a Texas-based company which has a contract to search for oil in the area.



However, Caracas is claiming that the ship, with five American citizens aboard, was operating illegally in Venezuelan waters.



The US State Department says it is aware of reports that five Americans were among the crew members detained by Venezuelan authorities aboard the ship, but declined to comment further.



Reports say the ship was surveying the seafloor on Thursday when it was approached by a Venezuelan navy vessel and forced to sail to Venezuela's Margarita Island.



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