WASHINGTON: The United States has chartered a ferry to evacuate US citizens from Libya, urging them to get to the designated port in Tripoli "as soon as possible" early Wednesday.The US State Department announced the ferry on Tuesday evening from its embassy in the Libyan capital following a week of protests and a violent crackdown by leader Moamer Kadhafi's security forces.
The ferry is scheduled to depart from the As-shahab Port in central Tripoli and will go to Malta. Processing of passengers will begin at 10:00 am local time."US citizen travelers wishing to depart should proceed as soon as possible after 9:00 am to the pier and arrive no later than 10:00 am," the State Department message said.
The ferry is scheduled to depart at 3:00 pm local time.Citizens will be required to reimburse the government at a later date for their transportation.Earlier Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that the safety of US nationals inside Libya was "our highest priority" and stressed the United States was "in touch with many Libyan officials directly and indirectly and with other governments in the region to try to influence what is going on inside Libya."Libyan authorities have acknowledged at least 300 dead in the past week, but rights groups say the toll could be as high as 400.
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