India detains ‘arms-laden’ ship bound for Pakistan

A Panama-registered ship heading to Pakistan and allegedly carrying a “huge quantity” of explosives has been detained.

KOLKATA: A Panama-registered ship heading to Pakistan and allegedly carrying a “huge quantity” of explosives and other weapons has been detained by authorities at a harbour in eastern India, Kolkata police said on Saturday.

The vessel was heading for Karachi and was detained on Friday at Diamond Harbour, south of Kolkata, following an intelligence tip-off, police said.

“The Indian Coast Guard and navy personnel have found a huge quantity of explosives, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and some bombs in two large containers,” West Bengal police director-general Bhupinder Singh said.

“The captain of the ship is being interrogated for further information,” he added at a news conference.

The 153-metre-long ship was being taken to Kolkata for a thorough search by intelligence and other officials, Singh said. “Customs have now decided to completely rummage the ship.”

Police identified the vessel as the MV Aegean Glory and said it was registered in Panama.

The ship had sailed from Monrovia, Liberia, then to Mauritius and on to Chittagong in Bangladesh before making for Diamond Harbour, police inspector general Surojit Karpurokayastha said.

He said police had initially believed the ship was registered in Saint Vincent but later examination showed it to be registered in Panama.

“The seized documents show that the vessel’s origin was Liberia,” Karpurokayastha told AFP.

He said he could not comment on who was the intended recipient of the weapons.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2010.