Ship with armed guards detained in Indian waters

In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard on Friday night detained a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel with 25 armed guards on board, at Tuticorin.

Ship with armed guards detained in Indian waters

In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard on Friday night detained a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel with 25 armed guards on board, at Tuticorin.

Though the vessel – Seaman Guard Ohio – belongs to AdvanFort, a US-based firm that provides maritime security, sources in defence agencies said the crew and guards could not explain why they had entered Indian waters. They had no documents authorising their possession of sophisticated arms and ammunition, which included semi-automatic weapons and self-loading rifles.

According to Inspector-General and Commander Coast Guard (Region East) Satya Prakash Sharma, the operations centre here received information late on Friday that a vessel with armed guards on board was seen near the Tuticorin coast.

After putting the vessel under electronic surveillance, Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Naiki Devi’ intercepted and escorted it to the Tuticorin Port on Saturday.

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Source: The Hindu.