Guyana Says Venezuela Detains US Oil Ship Crew The government of Guyana said Friday that Venezuela's navy has detained a ship operated by a U.S. oil company in waters disputed by the neighboring South American countries. The ship, which has five U.S. citizens on board, was conducting a seismic survey under contract for Anadarko Petroleum Corp. on Thursday when it was stopped by a Venezuelan navy vessel. It was being escorted to Margarita Island in Venezuela, where the crew was under arrest, the Guyanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The ship, the Teknik Perdana, was expected to arrive on Margarita Island on Sunday. Guyana said the crew was well within its territorial waters but that the Venezuelan navy informed them that they were operating in that country's exclusive economic zone and ordered an immediate halt to the survey. The two countries been disputing both their land and ocean borders for decades. The government of Guyana said it has expressed its "grave concerns" to Venezuela and requested the immediate release of the vessel and its crew. "The actions taken by the Venezuelan navy vessel constitute a serious threat to the peace of this sub-region and the Government of Guyana therefore strongly condemns these actions," the Foreign Ministry said. John Christiansen, a spokesman for Anadarko, based near Houston, Texas, said the company was working with the governments of Guyana and the U.S. to secure the release of the crew and the vessel. The total number of crew members was not available, but there were at least five U.S. citizens, including employees of Anadarko and TDI Brooks International, a company based in College Station, Texas, that was contracted to do the acoustic survey of the ocean floor. Peter Tatro, the director of operations for TDI, said the company is in contact with its employees. The people are fine. Our concern is just sort of what happens next," Tatro said. We don't know what to expect when they arrive in Venezuela. The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment. The Teknik Perdana, a 285-foot survey vessel flagged in Panama, was operating in what is known as the Roraima concession block, an area of the Southern Caribbean that has seen increased exploration in recent years. Guyana said that the vessel was merely collecting seismic data and that there was "ample time" to discuss any differences over the region with Venezuela since the actual exploration work had not yet started. Fox reported from Miami