Libyan Embassy in Sofia

Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski told Bulgarian national television on Tuesday that the row between Bulgaria and Libya over a detained Libyan vessel is merely a "private legal matter" after Libya threatened to seize all Bulgarian ships that enter its waters.

The five-member crew of a Maltese tanker vessel, including two Bulgarian nationals, has been arrested in Libya for alleged smuggling of oil products.

The Moldova-flagged ship, Sunoil I, and its crew were detained in Tripoli on 3 January, Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.